TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Civil groups from all walks of life commemorate May Day by staging a rally in front of the House of Representatives building in Senayan, Jakarta, on May 1, 2025.
The rally was originally planned to take place in the Sudirman-Thamrin area with a long march starting from Dukuh Atas heading to the State Palace. But it was relocated as President Prabowo Subianto was going to attend May Day at the National Monument (Monas).
The rally was joined by the Indonesian Women's Alliance, Campus Workers Union, Independent Journalists Alliance, The Indonesian Media and Creative Industry Workers Union for Democracy (Sindikasi), and the Congress of the Indonesia Unions Alliance (Kasbi). They are part of the Labor Movement Together with the People (Gebrak).
Protesters carry with them banners and posters to be distributed on the streets in front of the parliamentary complex gate.
The posters illustrate demands and protests from varied perspectives, from labor to women. One of the posters read: “May Day is not a holiday. This is the day to fight back.”
In their official statement, Gebrak criticized people who seek to get close to the governing powers. The movement asserted that no reason is enough to justify cozying up to oppressive entities, especially those who have experienced bad policies and repressive treatment from the state.
"The Gebrak Alliance stresses that the Indonesian Labor Movement cannot be claimed by anyone or any group whose ultimate goal is to get a piece of the ‘power’ pie,” they wrote in a statement on Thursday, May 1, 2025.
Indonesia under Prabowo and Gibran’s regime, the alliance stated, has yet to show any structural changes that prove beneficial toward citizen protection and welfare. Hence, there are five demands brought by Gebrak in today's rally, including:
1. Revoke the Omnibus Law on Job Creation and enact a pro-labor Manpower Bill;
2. Enact the Domestic Workers Protection Bill and recognize the status of informal sector workers such as online motorcycle taxi drivers and couriers;
3. Stop evictions, implement genuine agrarian reform;
4. Stop national strategic projects that damage the environment and enact the Indigenous People Bill;
5. Revoke the Military Law and reject military involvement in civilian affairs.
Ervana Trikarinaputri contributed to the writing of this article
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