Security upped for massive fuel rally

JAKARTA. With throngs of protesters already turning up to protest the fuel-price hike, authorities are on alert for an escalation on Tuesday and are prepared to deploy hundreds of personnel both from the National Police and the Indonesian Military (TNI) nationwide.

Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Djoko Su-yanto said the police would restrain from using force only as a last resort, while TNI personnel would only be dispatched if the rallies turned ugly.

The National Police are expected to deploy 22,000 personnel to secure the rally on Tuesday. More than 8,000 TNI troops will be put on standby to back up the police force while others will be deployed to secure strategic sites, including the State Palace.

“TNI personnel will be deployed in case of crisis and urgent need,” Djoko told reporters after a meeting to discuss security measures for the rally with the National Police defense and security affairs chief, Comr. Gen. Imam Sudjarwo; Indonesian Military (TNI) chief Admiral Agus Suhartono; Home Minister Gamawan Fauzi; and the National Intelligence Agency (BIN) chief, Lt. Gen. Marciano Norman.

Responding to rallies that took place across the country on Monday, Djoko said that police could still handle the situation in spite of heightened tensions in some cities.

In Surakarta, protesters got a moral boost from the city’s Deputy Mayor F.X. Hadi Rudyatmo, who joined the crowd to denounce the government’s decision to raise fuel prices.

Hadi was also seen delivering a speech before protesters, condemning the planned fuel-price hike.

The deputy mayor is a politician with the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), which has issued an order for its members to join the rally to halt the government’s plan.

From Surabaya, East Java, the city’s Deputy Mayor Bambang DH, also of the PDI-P, said he would lead a rally against the price hike on Tuesday.

Bambang said he would be joined by hundreds of PDI-P members during the protest.

Responding to the local officials’ initiatives, Home Minister Gamawan Fauzi said they could face dismissal for their actions.

Gamawan said his ministry had issued a circular barring elected officials from joining the rally.

He warned that the officials could be dismissed for insubordination.

“Mayors are sworn-in by the government and, therefore, if they decide to go against the government, they may be dismissed,” Gamawan said.

In an effort to prevent more protesters gathering for Tuesday’s rally, the Jakarta Transportation Agency warned that permits belonging to public transportation operators and drivers could be revoked if their vehicles were used to ferry protesters on streets outside their designated routes.

“Any illegal use of public transportation vehicles would cause a loss of service for Jakarta residents,” agency chief Udar Pristono said Monday.

Earlier this month, the agency began a joint operation with the city police and the Jakarta branch of the Organization of Land Transportation Owners (Organda) to prevent the use of public minivans (mikrolet), minibuses and buses in rallies and convoys.

Protesters are notorious for packing minibuses and buses as they travel to and from rally points. Most will ride on the vehicles’ roofs.

Operators and drivers will receive a warning for initial offenses. Repeat offenders, however, will face the possibility of having their permits revoked either temporarily or permanently.

Udar said on Monday that 15 Metromini minibus drivers and their operators were facing permit revocations for repeated offences.

The Jakarta Police are expecting more than 8,000 people to turn up for Tuesday’s rally based on permits they have distributed to protesters.

Protesters are expected to gather at strategic points including the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle, the House of Representatives’ (DPR) and the National Monument (Monas). (Andreas D. Arditya and Ridwan Max Sijabat/ The Jakarta Post)