Approaching The Afternoon, BEM SI Is Still Waiting For Student Colleagues To Reject The Job Creation Law

The situation of the BEM SI action at the Horse Statue (Photo: Diah / VOI)

JAKARTA - A number of masses from the Indonesian Student Executive Board (BEM SI) began to gather at the Arjuna Wiwaha Horse Statue area, Central Jakarta, to voice their rejection of the Omnibus Law on the Job Creation Act.

The students began arriving at around 13.00 WIB. They wear various alma mater on their respective campus. Without bringing a command car, the orator voiced rejection of the Job Creation Law through a loudspeaker.

"We have come to reject the problematic law," exclaimed the orator in response to the fist of the other students who surrounded him.

Not far from the BEM SI mass gathering, a number of masses who are members of the Indonesian Poor People's Union (SRMI) also staged a demonstration against the Omnibus Law of the Work Creation Law.

At the Silang Merdeka Barat Daya National Monument area, Central Jakarta, participants in the SMRI demonstration began to give speeches. One of the orators gave a speech in the command car. The orator stated that the Job Creation Law would harm workers from various sectors.

Furthermore, BEM SI is targeting the action participants to be around 6,000 students from various universities. However, according to VOI's monitoring at around 15:15 WIB, the mass of the action that was present had not yet reached the targeted number.

To wait for other fellow students to gather, they held congregational Asar prayers. While waiting, some of the students chatted with colleagues who had arrived.

In front of the students, police officers lined up to monitor the activities of the action. Students and apparatus are bordered by barbed wire and concrete separators at the end of Jalan Medan Merdeka Barat.

Not many police officers were on guard, only about 20 officers lined up on the front lines. However, the police prepared 650 joint officers between the TNI and Polri to stand guard. Central Jakarta Metro Police Chief Kombes Pol Heru Novianto appreciated the orderliness of the two elements of the masses who held demonstrations.

"In principle we will oversee this action because they have already written and informed. However, it is only up to Sapta Pesona. We are negotiating and they will take action here," said Heru while monitoring the action at the location.

The following are the demands and stance statements of the All Indonesia BEM Alliance in holding a demonstration today:

1. Urge the President to issue a PERPPU to revoke the Job Creation Law which was passed on Monday, October 5, 2020

2. Condemn the government's actions that try to intervene in the people's movements and voices against the rejection of the Job Creation Law

3. Condemn the various repressive actions of the state apparatus against all mass actions

4. Inviting all Indonesian students to unite to continue to convey rejection of the Job Creation Law until the Job Creation Law is revoked and canceled.

The police apparatus also alerted thousands of personnel to secure the demonstration in the National Monument area. The tens of thousands of joint personnel consisted of the TNI, Polri, and local government officials.

"More than 8,000 joint personnel from the Indonesian National Police and the Regional Government, as well as 10 thousand reserves are standing by at Polda," said Head of Public Relations at Polda Metro Jaya, Kombes Yusri Yunus.