Denny Siregar Sentil Mass Demonstration April 21: Your Friends Say The Suharto Era Was Free Of Opinion, If You Are Stupid, You Should Be Quiet

Mass of students in the Arjuna Horse Statue area, Central Jakarta. (Diah Ayu/VOI)

JAKARTA - Social media activist Denny Siregar quipped at the demonstration by a number of student alliances at the Horse Statue not far from the Jakarta State Palace today. He said that the mass demonstrations on April 21 should not be wrong in their words.

Denny alluded to the statement by the All-Indonesian Student Executive Coordinator (BEM SI) Kaharuddin who had said that during the New Order era, Suharto's leadership gave tolerance for its people to have free opinions. BEM SI is known to have initiated a demonstration on April 11th.

"Is the demo done, brothers? Don't be like your friends, who said that during the Suharto era there was freedom of opinion and people's welfare," said Denny on his Twitter account, @Dennysiregar7, Thursday, April 21.

After reminding him not to follow in Kaharuddin's footsteps, Denny asked that the student elements of the April 21 demonstration should not voice their aspirations. According to him, it is better for students to be silent so that they do not make mistakes in speaking.

"We are idiots, it's better to be quiet. Instead of looking stupid," he said.

The mass of students who held a demonstration in the Horse Statue area included the Indonesian Student Alliance (AMI) and the University of Indonesia Student Executive Board (BEM UI). They called for seven demands in the action.

The demands include taking firm action against constitutional criminals and rejecting the discourse on extending the presidential term, lowering the price of basic necessities and overcoming economic inequality, and taking firm action against all repressive actions against civil society with a strict and non-discriminatory mechanism.

Furthermore, realizing scientific, free, and democratic education, ratifying the pro-people bill, rejecting the pro-oligarch bill, realizing true agrarian reform, and ending all human rights violations.

In addition to the Horse Statue area, masses from a number of labor alliances also held a demonstration on April 21 in front of the Parliament Complex in Senayan Jakarta today. As for the mass of workers, among others, lower prices for fuel, cooking oil, PDAM, electricity, fertilizer, VAT, and toll roads.