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Workers call on the people to abandon the elite political parties

Kompas.com - May 1, 2013

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Dani Prabowo, Jakarta – Thousands of workers from the Labour Joint Secretariat (Sekber Buruh) held a protest action at the General Election Commission (KPU) building on Jl. Imam Bonjol in Central Jakarta at 11.30am on Wednesday May 1.

The protesters were marching from the Suropati Park area towards the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle. However the demands that they were articulating were not related to workers' welfare, but calling on the people to reject the 12 political parties that will take part in the 2014 elections.

"Abandon the elite [political] parties that are corrupt, the parties that do not place any importance on workers' welfare", shouted one of the workers in a speech. In addition to giving speeches, they also brought banners satirising the existing political parties.

As of 12.25pm the workers were still holding the action in front of the KPU building. The action resulted in the flow of traffic on both lanes of Jl. Imam Bonjol being closed temporarily.

As reported, on the commemoration of Labour Day that falls today, hundreds of thousands of workers are holding protest actions at a number of points in the capital.

[Demo di KPU, Buruh Malah Kritik Partai Politik - Kompas.com. Rabu, 1 Mei 2013. Translated by James Balowski for the Indoleft news service.]

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