Izzatun Najibah, Reni Susanti, Surabaya – Protests against the planned increase in value added tax (VAT) are continuing. Hundreds of students who are members of the East Java Student Alliance held a petition signing action at Bungkul Park in the East Java (Jatim) provincial capital of Surabaya on Sunday December 29.
This action took place in an unusual atmosphere, considering that Bungkul Park, which was known as one of the best parks in Asia in 2013, was devoid of any sporting activities because Car Free Day (CFD) had been cancelled.
"Yesterday, the CFD was indeed cancelled, but we still held the action", said East Java (Jatim) National Association of Student Executive Councils (BEM SI Jatim) coordinator Aulia Thaariq on Monday December 30.
Students from various campuses in Surabaya and its surrounding areas wearing alma mater jackets with different colour patterns had been gathering since 6 am. Their mission was the same, namely to reject the increase in VAT to 12 percent that will come into effect on Wednesday January 1, 2025.
"We brought around 150 protesting students from several campuses in East Java, but we also invited traders and workers", Thaariq added.
During the action, the students gave speeches and expressed their concerns through a theatrical action. They also unfurled a white banner along the side of the road that read "Jatim Challenges and Rejects the 12% VAT".
Following this, the banner was then displayed in front of the Grahadi Building (the East Java governor's office) and the pedestrian bridge on Jalan Gubernur Suryo.
The student action was held in the middle of the Christmas and New Year (Nataru) holidays, so it was only attended by a few hundred students as some had chosen to return to their hometowns. Thaariq revealed that there would likely be further actions with even larger numbers.
"This tax hike will strangle the little people, including labourers like me, so it's a big burden on society", said the Airlangga University student.
BEM Nusantara Jatim Coordinator Helvin stated that if the government continues with the VAT increase on January 1, then East Java students will hold a huge demonstration. "We'll see later on January 1. If it's still set [by the government], we'll bring an even larger crowd", he asserted.
Helvin said he hopes that the government will review this policy, because it could have a significant impact on the people's economy. "There are still many sectors that the government could target, such as corruption and ministerial operational costs. So the 12 percent VAT issue must be reviewed", he concluded.
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "Jatim Menggugat, Mahasiswa Surabaya Tolak PPN 12 Persen".]
