Surya
Daily Online - July 6, 2009
Judi
Prasetyo, Jombang – Workers from the Independent Indonesian National Front for
Labour Struggle (FNPBI-Independen) have agreed to boycott the coming July 8
presidential elections by not using their right to vote or to golput.
The agreement was kindled during a mass meeting held in the auditorium of the
Youth Social Development Building in Jombang, East Java, on Sunday July 5.
The workers
were doubtful because the presidential and vice presidential candidates that
have emerged have already failed workers in holding the reigns of leadership.
“All of them are [members of] the political elite who were once in government
and all of them have failed fight for workers”, asserted East Java
FNPBI-Independent coordinator Afik Irwanto.
During the
meeting – which was also attended by a number of other Jombang trade unions –
FNPBI-Independent warned workers not to be easily deceived or be put to sleep
by the presidential candidates’ promises.
In addition
to this, the workers also made six demands on the government. These were in the
form of guarantees of the workers insurance scheme (Jamsostek), holiday
bonuses, decent overtime wages, increases in the regional minimum wage, the
abolition of contract labour and outsourcing and the freedom to organise.
“This is
what we must continue to struggle for”, asserted Irwanto, who was spontaneously
elected as the group's spokesperson along with two other people from the East
Java Labour Alliance.
According to
Irwanto, the character of the presidential tickets of Susilo Bambang
Yudhoyono-Boediono, Megawati Sukarnoputri-Prabowo Subianto as well as Jusuf
Kalla-Wiranto are clearly the same was they were in the previous era. By way of
example, it was precisely when former president Megawati was in power that
contract labour and outsourcing systems were put into place through Law Number
13, 2003 on Labour.
Juir, from
the education division of the East Java Indonesian Trade Union Congress
Alliance (KASBI) said that up until now there has yet to be a leadership figure
that could become a motor for the labour struggle in Indonesia. “So, our
[choice] to golput has a clear aim,” asserted the man with a closely
shaven head. (st8)
Notes:
Golput -
Golongan putih or white movement meaning not to mark the ballot paper (leave it
blank) or abstain from voting.
[Translated
by James Balowski.]
