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Malang students say government has failed, call for Yudhoyono's resignation

Detik Surabaya - October 20, 2011

Muhammad Aminudin, Malang – The second year of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) and Vice President Boediono's administration was commemorated by students in the East Java city of Malang with a demonstration at the Malang city Regional House of Representatives (DPRD).

The protest action by two groups from the Malang branch of the Indonesian Muslim Students Action Front (KAMMI) and the Brawijaya University Student Executive Council (BEM) was also joined by scores of students from the Indonesian Islamic Students Movement (PMII) and the Indonesian Muslim Youth (PMI).

In speeches the two groups called on Yudhoyono to resign and unfurled banners demanding an immediate rerun of the presidential elections in order to replace Yudhoyono and Boediono.

KAMMI general chairperson Amir Gunawan said that the action was an evaluation of Yudhoyono's performance who had still failed to create an Indonesia that is prosperous, just and civilised.

Gunawan said that there were 10 failures of the current government: Yudhoyono, Boediono and the Second National Unity Cabinet had failed to uphold the supremacy of the law and resolve a number of corruption cases, Yudhoyono has failed to oversee the transition to democracy, improve the economy and the people's welfare, reduce the poverty rate, eradicate corruption, create a sense of security, maintain social harmony, protect the country's natural wealth and resources, safeguard the sovereignty of the Indonesian Republic and finally, he has failed to fulfill the people's hopes causing social stress in society.

"These 10 failures force us to ask SBY to resign now on the seventh year of his term in office", said Gunawan during a break in the action on the morning of Thursday October 20.

The Brawijaya University student said that in his view, Yudhoyono has just been preoccupied serving the interests of certain groups by dividing up the cake in the form of cabinet seats. He added that the call for Yudhoyono to resign would be conveyed to the speaker of the Malang DPRD so that it can be forwarded to the State Palace and the national parliament.

The KAMMI protest was also marked by an action in which they threw shoes on the ground as a token of the Yudhoyono governments' lies which has created exasperation among the people. They also covered their faces with black plastic.

The BEM protesters made similar demands with Arief Budi Laksono saying that there are four indicators that show that the Yudhoyono administration is not functioning, namely its failure to protect the people, provide cheap education, uphold the law and bring prosperity to the people.

"These four things aren’t being undertaken, we deeply regret that this has occurred", said the chairperson of the Brawijaya University BEM.

After giving speeches the students set fire to posters and banners with messages calling on Yudhoyono to resign. The action was closely watched over by security personnel equipped with a water cannon unit and backed up by security personnel from the Malang city DPRD bundling. (fat/fat)

[Abridged translation by James Balowski.]

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