Meeting hears of Indonesian upsurge
By Tuntuni Bhattacharyya
SYDNEY Fifty people attended a politics in the pub on October 17 to hear Edwin Gozal from the Peoples Democratic Party of Indonesia and Max Lane, national secretary of Action in Solidarity with Indonesia and East Timor.
Gozal spoke about the current political unrest in Indonesia, evident in the increasing numbers of workers' strikes and demonstrations.
He cited examples such as a Nike factory where 2000 workers lost their jobs and another 5000 went on strike in solidarity.
Gozal said that following the collapse of the rupiah and intervention from the International Monetary Fund, it is much more difficult for the Suharto government to justify human rights abuses in the name of economic development.
Lane talked about the anger and militancy amongst people in Indonesia at the moment. He cited a march in west Jakarta of 32,000 people demanding access to water, which culminated in the burning down of government buildings.
He also described the steady growth of the PRD despite having gone underground and subsequently being banned.
Lane drew connections between the struggles for democracy in Indonesia and for self-determination in East Timor.
He emphasised the importance of showing support for the PRD through signing the petition for the political prisoners and donating money to the campaign.