This morning I had a chat with some neighbors around the house. From discussing the increasingly difficult business climate lately, we suddenly ‘slipped’ into the conversation about Trisakti University becoming a State University (PTN), and the conversation flowed into the traumatic experiences of 26 years ago today.
One neighbor who happened to still be studying at Trisakti at that time recalled the news of a senior student who died during a demonstration.
Meanwhile, other neighbors who were still children when the riots occurred still lived in Tangerang with their families and witnessed buildings being destroyed and burned.
I myself live in an area that fortunately was not affected by the riots, so all we remembered at that time were endless news of riots on television, interspersed with news of the fall of the rupiah and the monetary crisis that was constantly mentioned by news presenters.
That happened in 1998, and as I entered the third year of high school, I still remember when studying Civics, I began to learn about Regional Autonomy. At that time, regional autonomy was still a ‘new toy’ because the nation had just emerged from the grip of the authoritarian New Order and Jakarta-centric. Suddenly it seemed that freedom was obtained and its manifestation was through the granting of regional autonomy which greatly relieved the people.
It cannot be denied that the May 12, 1998 tragedy is now recorded as one of the milestones in our country’s history.
Gen Z, Don’t Miss Out
For you Gen Z readers who were not born at that time, know that on May 12, 1998, four students of Trisakti University, namely Elang Mulia Lesmana, Heri Hertanto, Hafidin Royan, and Hendriawan Sie, died in a demonstration demanding the resignation of President Soeharto.
The bloody event then triggered a massive wave of protests and became a milestone in the history towards the end of the New Order. Now, 26 years after that tragedy, various parties have held commemorations as a form of respect and a reminder of the importance of upholding human rights (HAM) and justice.
Although more than two decades have passed, a glimmer of justice has not yet appeared. And this moment also serves as a reflection for the people and the government: “Have we moved closer or further away from the ideals of the Reformation?”.
Is that the goal of the Reformation? According to the president’s staff Amiruddin Ma’ruf, the goal of the reformation is to build a solid democratic system and to continue to build public welfare in Indonesia.
Democracy in Retreat
Unfortunately, our democracy has instead experienced a setback. According to goodstats.id, Indonesia has experienced a decline in democracy over the past decade, along with other Asia-Pacific countries such as Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Hong Kong, India, Myanmar, the Philippines, and Thailand.
From the electoral democracy perspective, the Indonesia Democracy Index (IDE) score has declined by up to 16% in the last 10 years. The most significant decline occurred in 2021, with a 4.4% decrease in the IDE score compared to the previous year.
Based on IDE indicators, the clean election indicator recorded the highest decline of 14.1% in the past decade. Followed by a 10.3% decline in the freedom of association indicator, and a 6.7% decline in the freedom of expression indicator.
This indicates a regression in important aspects of democracy such as free and fair elections, freedom of association, and freedom of expression in Indonesia over the past 10 years.
Decline in Public Welfare
According to data from datanesia.id, over the past seven years, the level of welfare of the Indonesian people has declined.
This is evidenced by a decrease in the portion of non-food spending by 2.8% from 51.32% in 2016 to 49.86% in 2022.
The decrease in non-food spending allocations reflects the increasingly limited financial space of households to shop for non-essential items such as durable goods and entertainment.
This also indicates a decrease in the quality of life because most of the expenditure is spent on food shopping.
However, there has been a positive change in household spending patterns. The portion of spending on cigarettes, which are harmful to health, decreased by 8%, while the allocation of spending on protein sources such as meat, fish, eggs, and milk increased by 10% from 8.68% to 9.57%.
When viewed by region, there are interesting differences. First, the allocation of spending on food and beverages has surged, especially in rural areas with an increase of 18.4% from 12.3% to 15.03%.
This is related to the ease of distribution that allows processed food to reach remote areas and the entry of electricity that encourages the growth of frozen food kiosks.
Second, spending on clothing and footwear increased in rural areas but decreased in urban areas.
The portion of spending on clothing in rural areas almost tripled from 3.12% to 9.43%, while in cities it decreased from 3.01% to 2.31%.
This increase is driven by the e-commerce boom made possible by the widespread internet network and the advancement of the logistics distribution sector.
Trisakti Commemorates
As if to remind us not to stray further from the path of Reformation, at Trisakti University, students held a commemoration ceremony at the Reformation Monument within Campus A, West Jakarta.
The event began with speeches from the presidents of the Student Executive Board (BEM) of each Trisakti foundation.
The President of Trisakti University’s Student Council, Faiz Nabawi, emphasized that this event is a reminder of the four students who fell while fighting for reform.
“Our friends are aware that talking about reform, many things in the state’s order have changed. One of the peaks of democracy is where our brothers (fell),” he said on Saturday, May 11, 2024, as quoted from medcom.id.
Meanwhile, the Vice President of Trisakti University’s Student Council, Ardhi Ramadhana, stated that this commemorative event aims to remind every student to monitor the actions of individuals who violate human rights.
“So that incidents do not recur and so that every citizen does not become the next victim,” he explained.
Ardhi also mentioned that they plan to hold an audience with the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) and the House of Representatives’ Commission III to push for the resolution of the May 12 tragedy through an Ad Hoc Human Rights Court.
“Because previously there was a military court, we want there to be an ad hoc court,” he explained.
Reform Footprints
In addition to the ceremony at Trisakti University, the National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan) also held the event “Napak Reformasi Tragedy of May 98: Past Human Rights Violations at the Crossroads!” in Jakarta on May 12, 2024, as reported by kompas.com.
This activity was carried out to invite the public to continue to remember the May 12, 1998 tragedy and to push for the fulfillment of victims’ rights and to ensure that similar incidents do not recur in the future, amidst the ongoing resolution of past human rights violation cases.
Participants of the “Reformation’s Footprints” activity were invited to explore several historical sites in Jakarta, starting from 08.00 AM to 05.00 PM. The meeting point was at the Office of the National Commission on Violence Against Women on Latuharhary Street, Menteng, Central Jakarta.
They were given guidance regarding the event and the Truth-Telling Campaign. Next, participants visited the first point, the VOC Shipyard, to get an overview of the history of the VOC Shipyard during the May 12, 1998 Tragedy.
The journey continued to Trisakti University, the Trisakti Museum, the Klender village, and ended at the TPU Pondok Ranggon, East Jakarta. At TPU Pondok Ranggon, the activity included flower laying and a joint prayer. (*/)
