We safeguard the workers' rally to prevent it from being infiltrated by rioters. Police officers will arrest those found pelting stones at the anti-riot police officersBanjarmasin, S Kalimantan (ANTARA) - The Banjarmasin city police deployed 1,500 personnel to safeguard a rally staged by local workers and unionists on Thursday to voice rejection to the enactment of the job creation law.
The joint personnel, recruited from the city's police, military, public order agency, and transportation office, safeguarded a demonstration involving at least three thousand participants, Banjarmasin Police Chief Sen. Coms. Rachmat Hendrawan stated.
The demonstrators staged their rally in front of the South Kalimantan Parliament Building to voice their demand to revoke the controversial omnibus law.
"We safeguard the workers' rally to prevent it from being infiltrated by rioters. Police officers will arrest those found pelting stones at the anti-riot police officers," he emphasized.
Since the law's enactment on Oct 5, 2020, protests have erupted in Jakarta, Surabaya, Medan, Semarang, Makassar, and several other cities.
On Oct 20, or on the day when the Joko Widodo-Ma'ruf Amin administration completed its first year of the five-year leadership term, several hundred students from different universities in Jakarta again staged a demonstration against the law.
The law was rejected not only by workers and trade unions, but it also fueled protests from thousands of university and junior high school students.
In the midst of mass protests widely covered by numerous Indonesian and foreign media outlets, President Joko Widodo has defended the law by expressing belief that it would bring about an improvement in the lives of workers and their families.
During an online press conference on October 9, 2020, Widodo echoed the government’s belief that this law would usher in an improvement in the lives and livelihoods of the families of millions of workers.
The president then elaborated on the rationale behind drafting the law, including the need for creating a large number of jobs for Indonesians.Widodo pointed out that annually, 2.9 million youngsters join Indonesia's working age population and are ready to enter the labor market.
The requirement for jobs has also risen since amid the COVID-19 pandemic, several companies have terminated the employment (PHK) of workers, he added.
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Translator: Gunawan W, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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