“We are here not to be anarchist and not to be violent. We are here to voice our aspirations,” said Haerul Alam, a protester from GERAM.
The protest was largely peaceful. But several protesters climbed the parliament complex’s fence and shortly before 7pm local time, the police fired a water cannon at protestors pushing the fence to try and get into the complex. Police personnel in full protective gear then stormed out, prompting the protestors to scatter.
Earlier in the day, another group from Central Java called the United Pati Community Alliance (AMPB) also held a protest.
The group had two demands: For parliament to pass the Asset Forfeiture Bill and the death penalty for corruption convicts.
The Asset Forfeiture Bill seeks to allow the state to trace, block, seize, and confiscate assets linked to economic crimes and corruption without requiring a prior criminal conviction.
It is currently under deliberation in the House of Representatives, which aims to pass it by December.
Some parliamentarians met with representatives of AMPB and said they would pass the Bill by Dec 15. AMPB responded by saying it would protest again if this does not happen.
The group was established last year when tens of thousands staged a protest in Pati demanding that its regent Sudewo step down. Sudewo had sparked outrage after raising the rural and urban land tax by up to 250 per cent.
Early this year, the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) held Sudewo on suspicion of bribery and extortion related to the filling of village official positions.
Discover more from PressNewsAgency
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.