(11 Mar 1998) Eng/Indonesian
Thousands of students across Indonesia gathered at campuses to express their displeasure with President Suharto's re-election on Wednesday.
In Yogyakarta, more than 10-thousand students marched, sang and chanted insults against the nation's supreme leader.
In Jakarta the numbers were smaller, but the message was the same: Suharto has damaged Indonesia.
Indonesia's largest protest against the government in years took place in President Suharto's hometown on the day he was sworn in for a seventh term in office.
Popular Muslim leader Amien Rais was among the speakers to address students at the Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta.
The predominantly Muslim university has been the site of numerous demonstrations in recent weeks.
Students, and ordinary citizens, are concerned about the state of the economy and the government's ability to correct it.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
"We reject the promotion - nomination of Suharto for the seventh term. Secondly - economic information, we want all the prices to be cut."
SUPER CAPTION: Faisal Rizal, Student leader
Ironically Yogyakarta, a renowned political capital, is where the President grew up.
And campus activism helped bring down his predecessor Sukarno,and launch Suharto into the country's top leadership post.
After thirty years of rapid economic growth, the Indonesian miracle has come down like a house of cards.
Asset values have been depleted as the rupiah has lost 70% of it's worth against the dollar since the middle of last year.
Prices are rising and unemployment is exploding.
Companies are going out of business weekly, as many cannot get letters of credit accepted for foreign goods.
Suharto and his family are accused of making millions on the backs of ordinary Indonesians.
This has fueled anger against Suharto and calls for his replacement.
A local news magazine was censured for printing an issue with Suharto depicted as a king.
That symbolism has become a powerful rallying point for students who want political as well as economic reform.
In Jakarta, a local teaching university also saw a small but noisy protest on Wednesday.
Despite a ban on public demonstrations during the National People's Assembly period, over 100 students turned out to show their displeasure with Suharto's re-election.
Heavy security kept a close eye on the protestors.
College students in the capital have been allowed to hold rallies as long as they have stayed on campus grounds.
These demonstrators flirted with the idea of hitting the streets.
However, a school official came out and despite some jeering, resignation, though.
SOUNDBITE: (Bahasa Indonesia)
"After he is returned to his power chair, the people will suffer more due to the rising price of commodities. The economic growth becomes zero per cent. Instead, he has to
step down from power."
SUPER CAPTION: Niko Student Leader
The sentiment was showed up for a candlelight vigil Wednesday night.
While rain put out the candles, it could not dampen the enthusiasm of the protestors.
Once again, the calls came for the end of the Suharto regime.
Almost a thousand turned out for the latest University of Indonesia demonstration.
Recent rallies have drawn numbers in the thousands.
However, the campus was recently moved to the Jakarta suburbs and the activists have been far from the political center.
Student activism has been successfully channelled by the government, keeping them away from opposition factions.
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