"You have to reject this colonial-style bill!" Maria Catarina Sumarsih told thousands of protesters staging a rally in front of the House of Representatives complex in Senayan, Central Jakarta, on Tuesday.

At 67 years old, Sumarsih might have been the oldest person among the crowd, mostly made up of university students from various schools both inside and outside the capital.

But the scenes outside the House would have been familiar to Sumarsih; her son, Atma Jaya University student BR Norma Irmawan, also known as Wawan, was shot and killed while taking part in prodemocracy protests in what became known as the 1998 Semanggi Tragedy.

Over two decades later, students have once again risen up in a protest that many describe as the largest student movement since the downfall of the New Order regime, to prevent what they perceive to be the resurgence of authoritarian rule.

The last two days have seen large-scale demonstrations involving tens of thousands of university students in Jakarta and other cities across the country, including Bandung in West Java, Palembang in South Sumatra and Makassar in South Sulawesi.

The movement started online, with hashtags amplifying support for street protests such as #ReformasiDikorupsi (Reform Corrupted) and #GejayanMemanggil (Gejayan Calling) trending on Twitter over the weekend.

The People's Movement Alliance, the main umbrella group for the student protests, has outlined seven demands for both the government and the House, which include halting the passage of several problematic bills and withdrawing the Indonesian Military (TNI) from restive Papua.

Expression of distrust: In Denpasar, Bali, hundreds of student demonstrators write protest slogans on a road in front of the Regional Legislative Council building.(JP/Zul Trio Anggono)

Chief among their concerns are the new Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) Law, which was passed with incredible speed despite concerns that it would severely weaken the antigraft body, and the pending Criminal Code (KUHP) bill, which had initially been scheduled to be passed in a plenary session on Tuesday.

Activists and experts say that the KUHP bill contains several contentious articles — including one that would restore a ban on insulting the president — that could lead to excessive criminalization and severely limit civil liberties, including the freedom of expression and citizens’ rights to privacy.

"We did not really coordinate between cities to hold demonstrations at the same time, but it's true that we all had the same awareness," Gadjah Mada University (UGM) student and alliance member Obed Kresna told The Jakarta Post.

"The momentum arose from the House's plan to hold a plenary session to pass the bills, as well as the previous passing of the KPK bill."

Following the protests, the House agreed to delay the deliberation of the KUHP bill and three other bills, namely the correctional procedures bill, land bill and mining bill, in accordance with President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s request to the lawmakers on Monday.

“We understand President Jokowi’s demand for us to postpone the four bills,” House Speaker Bambang Soesatyo said on Tuesday.

Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Wiranto also said that the bills had been postponed and called on students to call a halt to the protests.

UGM political scientist Amalinda Savirani, who was also a UGM student leader during the 1998 protests calling for then-president Soeharto to step down, said that the students’ expression of their political opinions was a good thing for Indonesia's democracy. She said that one of the main differences between the 1998 protests and the current student movement was the number of issues the protesters were fighting for.

"Back then, the focus was only on ending the New Order and deposing Soeharto. Now, the issues are much more layered and multidimensional," she told the Post. "That has left the movement open to accusations that it is being used by free-riders for other purposes."

In action: In Semarang, Central Java, students from various universities push down the fence of the Central Java governor’s office on Jl. Pahlawan.(JP/Suherdjoko)

Some have accused the protests of being a mask for a movement to depose Jokowi, who is set to be sworn in for a second term next month. The hashtag #TurunkanJokowi (Depose Jokowi) has also gone viral over the past few days, together with hashtags supporting the students.

However, according to social network analysis from big data consulting company Drone Emprit, the hashtag #TurunkanJokowi did not seem to originate from the same accounts that initiated the student movement.

Amalinda said that despite some criticisms of the movement's many demands, the varied nature of those demands could help the movement gain followers and momentum.

"But it cannot stop here, it needs to be followed up on in the coming days," she said. "Sustainability will always be a challenge, so the students need to focus on regeneration and joining together with other nonstudent movements."

The student protests in Jakarta ended with clashes between protesters and security forces on Tuesday evening, with police firing tear gas and water cannons after protesters broke down part of the House’s fence.

Reports also said that clashes had broken out between students and security personnel in Jambi; Makassar; Semarang, Central Java; and Medan, North Sumatra.

Sriwijaya University student union president Nikmatul Hakiki said that three students were injured after police fired tear gas in Palembang.

Out in force: In Medan, North Sumatra, thousands of students try to get past barbed wire in front of the Regional Legislative Council building.(JP/Apriadi Gunawan)

 

Jon Afrizal from Jambi, Suherdjoko from Semarang, Apriadi Gunawan from Medan, Aman Rochman from Malang, Andi Hajramurni from Makassar, Yulia Savitri from Palembang, Agus Maryono from Purwokerto, Arya Dipa from Bandung and Ni Komang Erviani from Denpasar contributed to this story

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Student protesters’ demands

* Reject Criminal Code bill, mineral mining bill, land bill, correctional procedures bill and labor bill; revoke KPK Law and Natural Resources Law; pass sexual violence bill and domestic workers bill

* Remove problematic KPK leaders picked by House of Representatives

* Ban Indonesian Military and National Police personnel from holding civilian offices

* End militarism in Papua and other regions, and immediately free Papuan political prisoners

* End criminalization of activists

* End burning of forests in Kalimantan and Sumatra and punish corporations responsible for fires and revoke their permits

* Resolve human rights violations and put human rights violators on trial, including those at the highest levels of government; immediately restore rights of victims