President: Convey Aspirations in an Orderly Manner

KOMPAS

Workers in a number of areas reject the government's decision to increase fuel prices.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — Demonstrations have taken place in a number of regions against the price hike for subsidized fuel. In response to the impacts of the fuel hike, the protesters, mostly workers and students, have demanded a number of measures from the government, including a minimum wage increase for workers. In relation to the demands, President Joko Widodo again reminded protesters to present their demands in an orderly manner and not resort to “anarchy”.

Presidential Secretariat head Heru Budi Hartono and the secretariat’s deputy for protocol, press and media, Bey T. Machmudin, said on Tuesday (6/9/2022) in the courtyard of the Presidential Secretariat in Jakarta that the President considered it reasonable that the public would have differing views regarding the fuel hike. The President expressed his hope that public protests would be held in an orderly manner in line with existing regulations, and not become anarchistic, especially those who did not agree with the policy.

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Heru added that the government would consider every aspiration that was presented, including the aspirations expressed by people who intended to demonstrate at the State Palace.

On Monday evening (5/9), the President asked that all fuel hike protests be carried out in an orderly manner. "Yes, this is a democratic country. Communicate [your demands] in a good way, OK," he said.

Several demonstrations against the fuel hike have been held in Jakarta, Medan, Batam, Surabaya and Kendari.

KOMPAS/SAIFUL RIJAL YUNUS

Hundreds of city transportation drivers and students took action against the government's decision to increase subsidized fuel prices, at the Southeast Sulawesi DPRD, in Kendari, Monday (5/9/2022). They demanded that the government cancel the price increase because it had a direct impact on the lower class..

Minimum wage hike

In Jakarta, workers and students rallied in front of the People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR), the House of Representatives (DPR) and the Regional Representatives Council (DPD) at the Senayan legislative complex. In Medan, members of the North Sumatra Workers' Party protested in front of the North Sumatra Legislative Council (DPRD).

Willy Agus Utomo, executive chairman of the North Sumatra Workers' Party, said that aside from objecting to the fuel hike, the party was also demanding that the government control the prices of basic commodities, which had soared as a result of the fuel hike, increase workers’ minimum wage, and repeal Law No. 11/2020 on Job Creation.

Willy said that workers were the group most affected by the increase in the prices of fuel and basic commodities. Moreover, in the minimum wage increases had been very low for the last three years.

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> Fuel Price Adjustment

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Khairuddin Siahaan (40), an oil palm plantation worker from Serdang Bedagai, North Sumatra, said the increase in the prices of basic commodities and fuel had severely affected his family's finances. “All basic needs are going up. In fact, my wage has not increased in recent years. It has been stuck at around Rp 3 million per month," he said.

Meanwhile in Surabaya, workers demonstrated in front of the East Java Governor's Office. They also demanded that the regional minimum wage be reevaluated in light of the current inflation.

According to Nuruddin, the deputy secretary of the Federation of Indonesian Metal Workers Unions, the fuel hike could be a further burden on the lives of workers and people with incomes below the minimum wage. He also questioned the decision to increase fuel prices now, when world oil prices were falling. (WKM/NSA/BRO/NDU/JAL)

This article was translated by Hyginus Hardoyo.