Several societal organizations held demonstrations against the fuel price hike implemented by the Yudhoyono administration, two of which were Front Perjuangan Rakyat(FPR) and Hizb-ut Tahrir Indonesia.
I originally planned to attend an open invitation to an event organised by "One Indonesia for All"alliance in the Grand Assembly of Monas at 1 PM today, when the Transjakarta bus I took went into a complete halt for around 20 minutes along the Bank Indonesia-Monas route due to a demonstration held by Front Perjuangan Rakyat. It was fortunate for me, as it turned out, that I did not attend that event at all because it was the particular peaceful demonstration that eventually went wrong.
A lot of passengers vented their anger for this scene
because the demonstrators made the bus halted merely 2 metres away from the bus stop!
After I alighted from the bus, I quickly raced my way to the front to take snapshots of the demonstration. Most of the time, Indonesians know how to express themselves in public freely in accordance with the existing rules and guidelines, and it was proven in both demonstrations I covered today. The two of them went along peacefully without any brawls whatsoever, because both parties –the FPR and HTI— had beforehand notified the police as to avoid any unnecessary conflicts.
The FPR coordinator leading in front of the group
Notice the Transjakarta bus on the centre left of the picture? That was the very same bus I rode earlier! Thank God I had alighted in the Monas Bus Stop!
The police drove along in front of the group
Yes, the street was "clean" indeed.
Another snapshot of the emptied street. Journalists –amateur and professionals alike— were seen taking their snaps of the demo here.
A man seen bearing the FPR banner
"BLT (Bantuan Langsung Tunai, or Direct Cash Transfer) is not a solution", says the banner on top right
Close snapshot of the demonstrators in the Medan Merdeka Barat Street
This snapshot was taken when they voiced out their opinions in their halt (this unfortunately, roused anger from the cars behind as I experienced in my Transjakarta bus a moment earlier)
Taken from the asphalts for an artistic effect. Please forgive my amateurishness in photography!
Of course, the police had to set up barricades according to their safety protocols. Barbed wires were assembled alongside the Medan Merdeka Utara Street in front of the Istana Negara (Presidential Palace). I had also videotaped the assembling of the barbed wires, but unfortunately my internet connection is a broadband one, hence I'm unable to upload any of my videos to Youtube!
Barbed wires set up in front of Istana Negara (Indonesia's own "White House")
Barbed wire seen set up along the Medan Merdeka Utara Street
Another layer of "barricade" was set up in front of the barbed wires, which was none other than the policemen forming a 100 metre-long human line stretching from the Majapahit Street bordering the Medan Merdeka Barat Street and Medan Merdeka Utara Street.
Before the line was set up
On the left was Istana Negara (not seen in picture)
The police seen forming a line on the border between Medan Merdeka Barat and Medan Merdeka Utara Street
On the right hand side from the picture is the Monas, while on the left is Istana Negara (both not seen in picture)
Another snap of the policemen's human line
The human line stretching all the way to the front of National Monument
Ordered in a neat human line!
Istana Negara seen in the background
Another snapshot with Istana Negara
Both layers of defence –the barbed wires and the police human line— are seen here
The human line took a break after an hour in their position
After being blocked by the policemen's human line, the FPR demonstrated in front of Monas, where they sang their anthem of bringing the incumbent President-Vice President pair of Yudhoyono-Kalla down.
Monas seen in the background
A police officer looks on
The human line and the demonstrators. To the left is Medan Merdeka Utara Street
Human line as seen from behind
Both sides seen together
Various banners of youth groups united under FPR seen here
Monas in the background
Monas in the background (2)
Banners communicating the FPR's demands
The demonstrators, human line, and Istana Negara seen together in this pictureAnother group of demonstrators, the Hizb-ut Tahrir Indonesia, presumably coming from the Gambir district, made their way to the Monas' front gate just beside the FPR group, though of course they carried a slightly different demand in tackling the fuel price hike problem, by reforming the Indonesian government into a sharia-based one.
Here are a couple of trivial pictures I took during the demonstration:
Scavengers reaping benefits in this demonstration
Ready to pick up the bags...
A Metro TV personnel
A cameraman from the police force
