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SBY slammed for blaming labor violence on rivals
Jakarta Post - May 6, 2006
Jakarta – Politicians and analysts have rebuked President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono for accusing his political rivals of orchestrating Wednesday's violent labor rally in Jakarta.
His comments showed the government was uneasy in handling labor affairs, they said Friday.
Former president Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid said Yudhoyono should apologize for the "groundless" accusation, and be prudent in dealing with the crucial labor issue.
"The government must apologize. They (government officials) should not be arrogant. They must realize they have given so many promises to workers, but none has been fulfilled. Rather than accusing others, why don't they review the labor policy?"
Susilo, who was on an official Middle East trip when the protesters vandalized property and clashed with police in Central Jakarta, said the disturbance was engineered by political rivals who were dissatisfied with the 2004 presidential election.
About 19 labor unionists were arrested, with eight of them declared suspects for allegedly injuring security personnel and journalists. As well as pelting security personnel with stones, protesters also tore down the fence outside the legislative compound.
The Confederation of All Indonesian Workers Union (KSPSI), who organized the rally to protest the planned revision of the 2003 Labor Law, has accused a 30-member group of committing vandalism in their attempt to incite unrest. The group members reportedly used fake KSPSI emblems.
The secretary-general of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan), Pramono Anung Wibowo, denied that his party or its chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri, who lost the election to Yudhoyono, was behind the violent rally. He said Megawati would not sue the President for his statement and his party would continue opposing the law revision.
Janzi Sofyan, deputy chairman of the Crescent Star Party (PBB), warned the government of more unruly rallies, and said Manpower and Transmigration Minister Erman Suparno should be replaced because he was incompetent.
University of Indonesia political analyst Arbi Sanit said Yudhoyono's reaction showed he was "panicking", due to the opposition to the law's revisions and the realization that he could not fulfill all political concessions he made during his presidential campaign.
"He is in a panic because so far, he has made no progress to improve the people's social welfare and his government has taken the employers' side in revising the law while corruption remains rife."
He dismissed the government's argument that revisions were needed to draw more foreign investment. He said it should instead focus on eliminating the high-cost economy and upholding the law to give legal certainty to investors. He warned that proceeding with the revisions would be political suicide for the administration.
Denny J.A., executive director of the Indonesian Survey Circle, said that through the rallies, workers may have used senior political figures to voice their grievances after they were disappointed by the government and legislature.
He also warned the government against treating the labor issue lightly because workers – numbering 30 million in the formal sector – could be a serious threat to the political and economic stability.
He also said that an April survey by his organization showed approvals for Yudhoyono-Kalla had dropped drastically because the public saw no progress in economic development and a failure to address their political aspirations.
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