James Balowski, Jakarta
International Women's Day rallies, held in most major Indonesian cities on March 8, were dominated by protests against fuel subsidy cuts, which were announced by the government of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on March 1. Angry demonstrations have been occurring almost daily since the announcement as fuel price hikes have flowed on to the price of basic goods and services.
The March 9 Jakarta Post reported that in Makassar, South Sulawesi, hundreds of women, mostly housewives and older women, said the policy affected them the most as they were responsible for household spending. They said the government should be more serious in its fight against corruption instead of cutting fuel subsidies.
In the Central Java provincial capital of Semarang, women NGO activists also staged a rally against fuel prices. Carrying kitchen implements, they accused Yudhoyono of lacking sensitivity toward women who bear the brunt of the price increases.
"The government has adopted capitalism, which of course, affects the people's welfare. Such a policy will only restrict women's access to basic needs, such as health, education, clothing and housing", one of the protesters told the Jakarta Post. "I wonder why the government has failed to eradicate corruption among officials working with [the state oil company] Pertamina", she added.
In Jakarta, demonstrators from various student groups and women's organisations marched through the city and converged on the State Palace to voice their opposition to subsidy cuts. They said that instead of cutting fuel subsidies to cover the budget deficit, the government should try to recover the billions of dollars in state revenue lost to illegal logging managed by high-ranking military officers and end the expensive and brutal war against the Acehnese people.
In the Central Java city of Solo, a protest was organised by the Surakarta Women's Alliance, who warned that if the fuel subsidy cuts are not revoked, the people would withdraw Yudhoyono's mandate. Another rally in the city, organised by the group Women's Solidarity Against Fuel Price Increases, also took up the fuel price issue.
In the West Java provincial capital of Bandung, hundreds of women and farmers from the People's Struggle Front condemned fuel subsidy cuts. They also demanded an end to all forms of discrimination and violence against women, opposed polygamy and rejected contract labour. Other participants took up the issue of Indonesian women who were taken to Japan as "comfort women" during World War II and the thousands of women who are trapped in the sex industry.
A report released by the Women's National Human Rights Commission on March 7 showed that violence against women is increasing. In 2001, 3160 cases were recorded climbing to 5163 the following year and reaching 7787 in 2003. In 2004 it almost doubled to 14,020 cases.
In the Central Java city of Yogyakarta, activists from the Women's and People's Coalition for Reform (KPRP) commemorated IWD and opposed subsidy cuts. KPRP said that ordinary people, particularly women, are suffering most from the policy and the cuts have caused more and more working-class women to fall into poverty.
In February a maritime border row erupted between Indonesia and Malaysia over an oil-rich offshore area near North-East Kalimantan and the Malaysian state of Sabah. Many believe that the dispute is being used by the military to push for defence budget increases, which would be paid for by money saved from the fuel subsidy cuts. Nationalistic rallies around the country burning Malaysian flags or closing its embassy in Jakarta have also served to divert the public attention away from the fuel subsidy issue.
From Green Left Weekly, March 16, 2005.
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