The Reflection of Proclamation on August 17, 1945
17 August 2004
Joint Press Release
“We, the victims of human rights violation, are taking a day off as Indonesian citizens, because our state hasn’t given the guarantee of the freedom and our rights as human”
Proclamation Monument in Jakarta Photo: Alex Flor
Indonesia is still ailing from the crisis pain. Political elite are only worsening the situation. Corruption, insurmountable public and private debts and subsidy revocation, the development inequality between the capital and the rest of the country, a looming number of unemployment, forced eviction and the small economy destruction and environmental pollution are entangled with the profound political crisis. The ideals of reformed movement and democracy have been violated and instead the elite – with some exception – are busy to gain and maintain their power. The recent legislative election shows that the new Order remains very influential. In other words, the reformed movement has failed to draw a distinct line with the new Order regime. As a result, the sustainability of our lives as a nation has been endangered. The effort to unite the agenda and the people’s movement to fight for justice must be continuously and incessantly worked on, evaluated and renewed. In respect with that, there exists a long list of things to be done. However it is important to have the list of priority: 1. Promote political education for people to fight against the debilitation and abuse by the regime. The education should stem from the real contextual problems encountered by the people at the grass roots. This education should be managed according to the democratic principles and the direct democracy at the community level and independent press movement. 2. Stop corruption and curb the conglomerates powerful influences that have burdened the people’s lives. People should start mobilizing the resources moving into determined actions against the government officials corrupted practices and limit the seemingly unlimited conglomerates power. Suharto as the patron of the New Order must be brought to court, the regime must actively stop its officers and companies from corruption and people should be able to boycott, confiscate and enforce social excommunication. 3. Protect the labor rights and increase the education and medical budget as the basic strategy to come out of the crisis. 4. Stop natural resources and environmental exploitation which have been the basic tenets of the regime’s strategy to contain the crisis. We must urge that the polluters be prosecuted and their products be boycotted. 5. Protect women who as a group have been suffering severely during the crisis. The movement seeking for justice could be materialized through bill drafting that defend the women rights as well as through direct legal counseling to women as victims everywhere. 6. Oversee and restrict the shopping malls construction and exclusive residential estate which have reduced the space occupied by lower income groups who are the majority of this country. The grass roots movement has to deliver a concrete pro-poor proposal on realignment of urban residential area allocation. 7. Rearrange the people’s right on the land that they have occupied – which has often been neglected – by conglomerates. The movement to return the land to people for their welfare and to fight against exploration by the regime should be supported. House of Representative must enact the new law to resolve this problem further. 8. Stop the sprawling impunity practices for human rights violators by dragging them to court. The victims, including the refugees, have the right for truth and justice. It becomes the objective of people’s movement to straighten them right. 9. Stop militarism and thuggery which have been a parasite to this country. It is about time that the people must insist that TNI (the army forces) should continue its agenda of reformation, stick to its role in the national defense and be submissive to the civil governance. The party militias should be disbanded for they will only create disorder, problems and hinder the recovery process. 10. A fairer taxation system must be created to put an end to the current system which has made the rich richer and the poor poorer. It is time to stop the ironic condition where the poor has been subsidizing the rich. Direct democracy practices in budgeting and other related areas can potentially address various inequality problems resulted from unfair wealth distribution system. There is no government agency or formal political power that can be relied upon to implement this agenda. The hope lies in everyone in society. By uniting the pro-democratic and pro-justice movement, intellectuals and religious leaders from all religions and beliefs, our hope to fight against the conspirative and destructive power – conglomerates, bureaucracy, military forces – shall remain. This is the people’s way to realize social justice and to come out of the crisis. Jakarta, 17 August 2004 1. Paguyuban Warga Anti Penggusuran (PAWANG) 2. Federasi Organisasi Buruh Migran Indonesia (FOBMI) 3. Forum Keluarga Korban Mei 1998 – Semanggi I & II 4. Ikatan Keluarga Orang Hilang Indonesia (IKOHI) 5. Imparsial 6. Jaringan Kerja Budaya (JKB) 7. Perhinpunan Bantuan Hukum dan Hak Asasi Indonesia (PBHI) 8. Lembaga Bantuan Hukum (LBH) Jakarta 9. Watch Indonesia! 10. Pergerakan Indonesia 11. Institut Ungu 12. Brantas 13. Perhimpuna Rakyat Pekerja (PRP)
