BY KERRYN WILLIAMS
JAKARTA — "It's become much worse since the economic crisis. There are more homeless people, more street singers, and more street sellers", Onie told me, before turning back to his battered guitar and filling the tiny office of the Popular Youth Movement with songs of love and struggle.
Since its formation eight months ago, the movement, known by its Indonesian acronym GPK, has established 12 branches, and plans to open five more in the near future, including in North Sumatra, Kalimantan and Bali. In addition, they have set up several new organisations to mobilise high school students, street musicians and other youth sectors.
The chairperson of the GPK, Sri Sulartiningsih, explained, "Our main campaign is about the need for youth unity, especially in the urban poor areas. We also campaign about the importance of multi-sectoral unity, for students, workers, peasants and the urban poor to all fight together."
Block M, a shopping precinct and transport interchange in South Jakarta, is a key area of activity for the GPK, and home to many of its activists.
Onie has lived and worked there as a street singer for many years. "It's tough on the streets, especially in Block M. Everyone has to be multi-functional, no one has a permanent job. Most have maybe two jobs — as a street singer, then a street seller. You have to do whatever you can to collect enough money to survive.
"In every location at Block M now there is tough competition between the urban poor. There are usually more than five street singers in one spot", he explained.
Budi, who has been on Block M for three years, highlighted one alleged solution to the extreme traffic crisis in Jakarta. "Between 6-10am there is a law in Jakarta that every car has to have three passengers. So the drivers hire street kids as jockeys to fill the seats."
The Governor of Jakarta's answer to the problem of urban poverty was to launch a new program, with a 25 billion rupiah budget (around A$4.5 million) to "clean up the streets".
This involves hiring hundreds of kamtib (paid thugs) to round up street kids for the police to throw in jail. The thugs are awarded 50,000 rupiah (A$9) per person caught.
Jankis, also from block M, stated plainly, "If the police catch street kids, they beat them up."
Dero, responsible for the GPK's education department, explained that the government's attitude cannot be separated from the city regulations. "The Provincial Regulation #11, introduced in 1988, forbids people to sell things in the streets, or to beg."
The GPK has campaigned for the repeal of the regulation, and on May 15 organised a demonstration at the Presidential Palace. According to Dero, "The government understands regulation is not the solution to the problem, but they have no solution. That's why they introduced the 25 billion rupiah project to round up the urban poor."
Ricky Tamba, the general secretary of the GPK, believes there are obvious solutions to the problems.
"The government must create more jobs, especially popular jobs like in handicrafts", he said. "We also demand cheap education, housing and healthcare for the people. We also suggested some solutions to the government for funding this. They should cut the military budget and use the money to meet the people's needs."
The GPK mobilises urban poor youth for demonstrations against police harassment.
Tamba explained, "We have also been successful in releasing more than 50 street kids who have been detained. We bring an official letter from the GPK and negotiate with the social department. We tell them that they are under our education programs."
The GPK activists admit there are many difficulties organising amongst urban poor youth.
Jankis told Green Left Weekly, "It's hard to inject political consciousness when all they think about is to survive, to compete with others, and that it's not important to do political activities. In the past, there have been many groups of people from different provinces organised in gangs at Block M. They are very apolitical, but now after we've organised them there is a growing consciousness, and in the future they may form their own organisation to defend their rights."
The GPK has also been centrally involved in the movement against the come-back attempts by those aligned with the former "New Order" dictatorship of Suharto, including the military and the dictator's former party, Golkar.
Dero predicts that after the special session of parliament conditions for democracy activists will become more repressive if the New Order forces are successful in their quest to regain power. "It will be more difficult to organise and the right-wing forces will be more active."
The GPK is working closely with various high school student organisations, including the United Youth and High School Students Alliance, the Jabotabek High School Student Front and Kompi, the Committee of Indonesian High School Students.
Tamba explained, "Students from different schools are traditionally enemies so we aim to build new high school organisations, then make alliances between the groups across schools."
Another activist, Munathsir, said "We mix political issues with economic issues, for example, the anti-Golkar campaign and demanding cheap education for the people. We explain the links between them, of how Golkar acts as a tool of imperialism in Indonesia."
Despite lacking even the most basic material resources — their office has no computer or phone — Tamba's assessment of the GPK's work to date is positive.
"During eight months in Jakarta we have made lots of progress. We are the only group that can mobilise high school students in large numbers."
Jankis agrees, reflecting the relentless determination of the GPK activists, "Now that we are starting to organise ourselves, one day we will break the oppression on Block M and close the children's jail."