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Women, mothers stand up for student protesters
Late 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
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span>Late 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.
Roughly 380 face a range of charges, including possession of bladed weapons or Molotov cocktails, vandalizing police stations and spreading false information. At present, 179 remain in police custody.
“The legal process for those named suspects is proceeding and most of their files have been submitted to the Attorney General’s Office,” National Police spokesman Comr. Asep Adi Saputra told The Jakarta Post on Monday.
Liana Citra, 30, the mother of a 3-year-old son from East Jakarta, said that following the nationwide protests, it was time for the mothers of the protesters to have the courage to stand up to defend their children.
“Besides empathizing with those affected by the riots, we must also help the mothers counter the belief, spread through schools and education institutions, that their children, who took a stand for democracy, were in the wrong,” said Citra.
“One thing that is heartbreaking is that our democracy was taken backwards with these riots. The spirit of democracy that grew out from the young students was killed early.”
Citra regretted that 18 students at SMP 122 state junior high school in Penjaringan, North Jakarta, had been threatened with revocation of their Jakarta Smart Cards, while two others had been threatened with expulsion.
She added that the Research, Technology and Higher Education Ministry had also threatened to dismiss university rectors who encouraged students to take part in the protests.
“One thing that is heartbreaking is that our democracy was taken backwards with these riots. The spirit of democracy that grew out from the young students was killed early,” Citra added.
As mothers of the student protesters witnessed other women taking to the streets to defend the children of the nation, Citra said they would know their children had done what was right and that they themselves should also speak up.
Another participant of the group, Wiwin Warsiating, 40, said they would continue to fight and to encourage more Indonesian women to do the same as long as any of the protesters remained in jail on unclear charges in mishandled cases.
“As a woman, I cried at home while watching the news that young children were being intimidated, their skulls broken and their bodies bruised. We must open our eyes and admit that Indonesia is, at this moment, not OK,” said the South Jakarta resident.
One of the initiators of the alliance, Istriana Panca, 38, said that even though the women in the solidarity movement were not biologically related to the children involved in the riots, they felt the need to fight and continue the struggle the children had started.
“We do not want the same thing to be repeated in five years, and see our children exposed to violence from the authorities,” said the Tangerang resident and mother of two. “The students’ mothers are not here today, but we want them to know that they are never alone.”
“We will not stop here. We will raise funds for the victims of violence and continue to expand our network to create an even bigger movement.”
