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View all search resultsFrom Pati to Senayan, protesters take aim at corruption
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Protesters deliver speeches and put up posters and banners on a gate on Thursday during a demonstration urging lawmakers to immediately pass an asset forfeiture law for corruptors outside the Legislative complex in Jakarta. (AFP/Azwar Ipank)
H
undreds of protesters from Pati, Central Java, pressed the House of Representatives on Thursday to pass the long-delayed asset forfeiture bill to eradicate corruption, as thousands gathered the Senayan Legislative Complex to voice broader frustration over the country’s worsening economic conditions.
Organized by the United Pati People’s Alliance (AMPB), the protesters had been mobilizing and arriving in the capital by bus since last week, bringing antigraft demands that included also the death penalty for corruptors.
Joined by students, workers, online motorcycle taxi (ojol) drivers and other members of the public, the alliance reiterated its demands on Thursday, saying corruption had contributed to the economic hardship faced by ordinary Indonesians.
The group, which organized a series of protests last year against a plan to raise property taxes by 250 percent in Pati, called on the House to pass a bill allowing the government to seize assets linked to crimes such as corruption and money laundering.
Pati's suspended regent Sudewo, who spearheaded the tax increase, is currently on trial for alleged corruption. He is charged with extorting officials appointed to fill hundreds of administrative positions across the regency and taking bribes for railway track projects.
“The people have suffered losses for decades because of corruption in this country. We must mobilize and unite against corruptors,” an orator said in front of the legislative complex on Thursday.
Read also: Freezing of protester’s bank account draws flak
