We will comply with the request and guarantee that the preparation of the general election process conducted by the House and the General Elections Commission (KPU) will run (as planned).
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Several members of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR RI) and police officials met students protesting in front of the Parliament Complex, Central Jakarta, on Monday and listened to their demands.

They included DPR RI’s Deputy Speaker for Economy and Finance Sufmi Dasco Ahmad; Deputy Speaker for Politics and Security Lodewijk Freidrich Paulus; Deputy Speaker for Industry and Development Rachmat Gobel; and National Police chief General Listyo Sigit Prabowo.

During the meeting, Ahmad said that he supported the protesters’ request to reject the idea of the postponement of the 2024 general elections.

"We will comply with the request and guarantee that the preparation of the general election process conducted by the House and the General Elections Commission (KPU) will run (as planned)," he remarked.

On April 12, 2022, the President will inaugurate new members of KPU for the 2022–2027 term, he added.

Furthermore, the deputy speaker said that the attempt will certainly speed up the preparation of the general elections process.

"We are committed to conveying the demands to the government as soon as possible," he added.

The protesters have appealed to President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) to publicly state that he firmly rejects the ideas of the postponement of the 2024 general elections and the Presidential term extension.

In addition, they have asked the government to review the State Capital Law, stabilize prices and ensure the stock of basic commodities in the market, as well as thoroughly investigate the cause behind the scarcity of cooking oil and evaluate the performance of the related ministers.

Furthermore, they have asked the President to resolve agrarian conflicts in Indonesia and fulfill the campaign promises he made along with Vice President Ma'ruf Amin.

Meanwhile, the protestors have urged DPR RI legislators to listen and convey the aspirations of the people to the government.

They have also demanded that the House firmly reject the postponement of the 2024 general elections and the Presidential term extension as well as not betray the Constitution by making amendments to realize the two ideas.

In fact, on a number of occasions earlier, President Widodo had said that he had complied with the Constitution and refused the ideas.

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Translator: Walda Marison, Uyu Liman
Editor: Sri Haryati
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