Rally catches everyone off guard

The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Thu, 05/04/2006 11:19 AM  |  Jakarta

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Most people were unprepared for the chaotic traffic Wednesday when thousands of workers totally occupied Jl. Gatot Subroto and Jl. S. Parman in front of the House of Representatives complex.

The unruly protest caused heavy traffic congestion on the city's main thoroughfares, leaving motorists in confusion as to how to reach their destinations.

""I heard the workers would launch another rally Wednesday. But I didn't prepare for it, because I didn't think it would be that big,"" Wina Siregar, who works for a wood products supplier in the Menara Global building, told The Jakarta Post.

Wina had to take a taxi to meet her driver at Dharmawangsa Square before returning home to Bintaro, south of Jakarta.

""I told my driver not to pick me up at the office because of the traffic,"" she said. ""I was afraid the rally would turn ugly.""

For the same reason, Wina, who usually leaves work at 4 p.m., decided to go home early at 2 p.m.

Some people preferred to stay at work longer until the protest died down and traffic conditions eased.

""I can see the rally and the traffic banked up from my office. I'll just wait here until its over,"" Puji Nurbaeti, who works at Bank Mandiri in the Mandiri Plaza building on Jl. S. Parman, told the Post.

As Jl. Gatot Subroto and Jl. S. Parman were blocked by police, the streets from Tomang area, West Jakarta, heading to the Semanggi cloverleaf were heavily congested.

Bus routes heading to Semanggi and Cawang, East Jakarta, were all diverted to Jl. Pejompongan heading to Tanah Abang, Central Jakarta, which subsequently caused more traffic snarls. Vehicles from Cawang heading to Semanggi were also trapped in traffic jams.

Buses and vehicles heading to Jl. Thamrin and Senen were seen passing Jl. Mas Mansyur, even though there were no protesters at the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle.

Police stormed the rally at around 4:30 p.m. to disperse the crowd. The protesters left the area at 5 p.m. However, traffic conditions on Jl. Gatot Subroto did not ease before 7 p.m.

Governor Sutiyoso regretted the destructive behavior of the protesters, saying the public would not have much sympathy for them.

""Through their rough behavior, the protesters caused the city to lose money because Jakartans were unable to go about their business as usual,"" he said.

However, he said he could not stop demonstrations from being staged because every individual had the freedom to express their opinion in public.

He said he was more appreciative of Monday's rally, when thousands of workers congregated peacefully on Jl. Merdeka Barat and Jl. Merdeka Utara, in front of the State Palace.

The Jakarta Police will remain on alert from one day before World Labor Day on May 1 until after May 5, when another rally is planned by a separate group of labor unions. (01/06)

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