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Women, mothers stand up for student protesters
(Indonesian Mothers Speak Out) staged a protest in front of the Jakarta Police headquarters on Sunday to demand transparency regarding the arrests of student protesters and to show solidarity with the mothers of the protesters.Emak-Emak Indonesia BersuaraA group of women calling themselves
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A group of women spread flower petals as a form of protest in front of the Jakarta Police headquarters in South Jakarta, on Sunday, Oct. 13. They demanded transparency over the arrests of students involved in the recent demonstrations. (JP/Anggie Angela)
L
ate Sunday morning, a middle-aged women could be seen spreading red and white rose petals over a gray-and-white high school uniform streaked with red ink and stretched out on the sidewalk in front of the Jakarta Police headquarters in South Jakarta.
Beside the uniform was a cardboard sign that read “Our democracy fighters, mother’s prayers will always be with you”, with the names of five young people killed during the wave of student rallies that swept through the nation last month in protest of several controversial bills and the newly passed Corruption Eradication Commission Law.
The deceased are 21-year-old Immawan Randi and 19-year-old Muhammad Yusuf Kardawi, both students of Halu Oleo University in Kendari, Southeast Sulawesi; 15-year-old Bagus Putra Mahendra, 23-year-old Maulana Suryadi and 19-year-old Akbar Alamsyah.
With tears streaming down her face as she read a self-penned poem, Kokom Komalawati, 40, shouted “[...] their bullet pierced your head, their hands tortured your body, but on their clothes dropped your blood. My dear child, your pain is your mother’s pain, your wound is your mother’s wound, your pain and your wound are the sorrow of the nation.”
“We demand the police disclose the data of those who are still under arrest to make it easier for families to get information about their children, to understand the condition of their children and to get proper legal assistance,” Kokom thundered.
Standing before her were dozens of women from Greater Jakarta and Banten. Dressed in black with black headscarves, they identified themselves as Emak-Emak Indonesia Bersuara (Indonesian Mothers Speak Out). Together they sang the mournful patriotic song “Gugur Bunga” (Falling Flower).
In addition to the deceased, 1,489 people were arrested by the National Police.
