Student rally greets president's visit in Tasikmalaya

The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Thu, 09/18/2008 7:50 PM | National

Hundreds of university students in Tasikmalaya, West Java, held a rally during President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's visit Thursday, protesting against what they deem were the failures of his administration.

The students tried to block the President's convoy but failed. Local police managed to contain the students within an area, allowing them to protest peacefully.

Among the various topics raised by the students -- from the local University Students Executive Body (BEM) and Islamic Students Association (HMI) -- was the hardship endured by poor people amid the ever increasing economic pressures.

The students also protested againts the slow settlement of the Lapindo mud disaster and the alleged exploitation of natural resources by PT Freeport Indonesia in Papua.

The protest caused traffic congestion for a short period of time while the students and the police were involved in a small scuffle. Nobody was harmed during the incident.

As the protest was contained, the President's convoy managed to reach its destination, a Muslim boarding school in the Cipasung district. The President has been traveling since early this week from one boarding school to another in Java to meet with Muslim scholars.

Many political analysts argued that the President was making the most of the holy month of Ramadan by stealing a headstart to muster support for a second term for presidency, which will be decided in the next round of elections next year.

Comments (0) | Post comment

A | A | A |