http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/police-brace-for-may-day-riots-as-fuel-hikes-loom/
Police Brace for May Day Riots as Fuel Hikes Loom By Farouk Arnaz & Arientha Primanita on 2:10 pm April 28, 2013. Category Featured, Law & Order, News Tags: Indonesia fuel subsidies, Indonesia labor workers, workers protest Thousands of workers from Federation of Indonesian Metal Workers (FSPMI) are long marching from the Hotel Indonesia roundabout to the State Palace on Feb. 6, 2013. (JG Photo/Safir Makki) The National Police will remain on high alert this May Day as scores of workers take to the streets in protest of planned fuel subsidy cuts, a top police official said on Sunday. Hundreds of thousands of workers are expected to take to the streets this May 1 in celebration of May Day. The demonstrations are mostly peaceful, but with unpopular fuel subsidy cuts looming, police are concerned this year’s celebrations could turn violent. “We will pay attention to some big cities like Jakarta, especially [the protest] in front of the State Palace,” Operational Assistant Insp. Gen. Badrodin Haiti said, “and then in Surabaya, Medan, Makassar and smaller cities like Batam.” Indonesia has struggled to ween motorists off subsidized fuel. A plan to raise the price of subsidized fuel sparked days of protests last March as thousands of angry residents shut down parts of Central Jakarta with chaotic, and often violent, protests. The House of Representatives responded by scuttling the plan, setting off a series of fuel shortages across the nation as cost-saving quotas quickly maxed-out. The government has now unrolled a plan raise the price of subsidized fuel more than 40 percent for private car owners. Activists have blasted the plan, warning of coming inflation, while economists said the move will do little to curb what has become a Rp 194 trillion ($20 billion) expense that eats up 15 percent of the state budget. With the cuts on the horizon, the National Police expect this year’s May Day demonstrations to draw a big crowd. They urged protestors to assemble peacefully and follow regulations. More than 150,000 workers are expected hold demonstrations outside the State Palace, the House of Representatives and six ministries, Said Iqbal, president of Confederation of Indonesian Workers Unions (KSPI), said. “There will be around 150,000 workers from the Greater area of Jakarta that will come to Jakarta to protest outside the government institutions offices,” Said told Jakarta Globe. Nationwide, more than one million workers under KSPI and MPBI will hold demonstrations in 20 provinces, Said said. “They will protest at each of the gubernatorial offices,” he said. The protestors will demand the government scrap the fuel price hikes and institute better social welfare programs, Said said. The subsidy cuts may be for private cars only, but the increase will still effect workers, he explained. “We predict with the raise that worker’s purchasing power will be decreased by up to 30 percent,” Said said. Said promised this year’s May Day demonstrations will conclude without any violence. “We will assure that May Day protest will be peaceful and in orderly,” he said. “Not only have we coordinated with the police, we have also assigned our own internal guards and all the workers will wear uniforms to make sure there will not be any intruders.” [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
