[ad_1]
JAKARTA: Indonesian police detained nearly 400 protesters on Wednesday (October 7), some armed with Molotov cocktails and sharp weapons, in a second day of heated demonstrations over a controversial new employment law in Southeast Asia’s largest economy.
Demonstrations were held in at least 12 locations on Wednesday, and police detained 183 people in front of the parliament in Palembang, South Sumatra, and detained more than 200 protesters for questioning in the capital Jakarta a day later. that tear gas and water cannons were used to disperse the crowds. in various cities.
READ: Indonesian police arrest more than 20 as thousands protest against new employment law
The protesters are demanding that the government repeal an “omnibus” job creation law that has outraged unions, which they say unequally favors businesses and will harm workers and the environment.
Images from the Javanese city of Semarang showed angry protesters tearing down the fence of the local parliament complex, while in Jakarta and Bandung, students threw stones and burned tires.
A woman holds up a sign that reads “The Failed Product of the DPR Omnibus Law” as university students protest against the government’s labor reform bill in Jakarta, Indonesia, on October 7, 2020. (Photo: REUTERS / Ajeng Dinar Ulfiana)
The broad legislation has been championed by President Joko Widodo as key to boosting an economy hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic by cutting red tape and attracting foreign investment.
But academics from prominent universities expressed disappointment Wednesday over a law they said was problematic and would likely lead to judicial review.
READ: Indonesia’s new omnibus law is not a magic formula to stimulate investments: experts
University students protest the government’s labor reform bill in Jakarta, Indonesia, on October 7, 2020 (Photo: REUTERS / Ajeng Dinar Ulfiana)
Susi Dwi Harijanti, from Bandung Padjajaran University, said the rapid passage of the law “surprised everyone” because parliament was usually “slow to make regulations, including those clearly needed by the people.”
Indonesia’s largest Islamic organization, Nahdlatul Ulama, also intervened, and its leader KH Said Aqil Siroj said that it would benefit only capitalists, investors and conglomerates and would “trample” the common people.
Economy Chief Minister Airlangga Hartarto on Wednesday sought to calm protesters, saying many of their fears were based on false information.
“I can assure you that wages will not be cut,” he told a virtual press conference.
Other ministers have defended controversial provisions, including a land bank, saying the government would not take away farmers’ land and the law would not weaken environmental protection.
