Police to deploy 10,000 officers

The Jakarta Police plan to deploy 10,000 officers to secure the city as students and activists stated they would pour the city’s thoroughfares on Thursday to demonstrate their dissatisfaction with the government’s performance after 100 days in office.

City police spokesman Sr. Comr. Boy Rafli Amar said Monday that although the police had not received notification from activists or organizations regarding a planned rally, they would “concentrate on the likely centers of the rally, such as the State Palace and the House of Representatives’ building”.

Several students told The Jakarta Post on Monday that at least 6,000 students from various state universities in Greater Jakarta and Bandung were ready to join the rally.

Earlier, Adhie Massardi from the Petition 28 group, which includes students, youths, community leaders, politicians and activists, claimed that around 10,000 people would join the organization’s rally on Thursday.

“We have a clear demand. Failing means resigning,” Adhie said Sunday as quoted by tempointeraktif.com.

Petition 28 has openly criticized the government on several issues such as the Bank Century scandal and the provision of luxurious cars for Cabinet ministers and leaders of other state institutions.

Firman Wahyudi, head of the Bogor Institute of Agriculture’s student body, said at least 5,000 students from a dozen of state universities in Greater Jakarta and Bandung were ready to join the rally.

“Some of the students will hold a protest in front of the Corruption Eradication Commission [KPK] building while the others will join a rally around the Presidential Palace,” Firman told the Post.

Secretary-general of the Association of Islamic Students (HMI) Ahmad Nasir Siregar said his organization would deploy up to 1,000 people to join the protest.

“They [the protesters] are HMI members coming from our branches in Jakarta and several cities in
West Java.”

Both Firman and Ahmad agreed that President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and his cabinet team had made no significant achievements during their first 100 days in office.

“The Bank Century saga, for example, has clearly shown the government’s incompetence in dealing with endemic corruption in the country,” Ahmad said.

The much-discussed bailout scandal has recently brought been dogged by rumors of impeachment following the involvement of Yu-dhyono’s top aides, including Vice President Boediono and Finance Minister Sri Mulyani, in suggesting the Rp 6.76 trillion (US$716 million) bailout.

President Yudhoyono, who was re-elected last year, has seen his first 100 days in office come under wide criticism, especially after he was linked to the alleged framing of two deputy KPK chairmen, Bibit Samad Rianto and Chandra M. Hamzah, and, most recently, the Bank Century bailout case.

Although there is no proof that the President is involved in either case, widespread rumors to the contrary have reportedly reduced his popularity, as suggested by two recent surveys made by polling body Indobarometer and Kompas daily.

Posted in: SCANDAL