Indonesia’s Labour Party calls for ‘fair elections’ on time at May Day rally

Asia Pacific Report newsdesk

Indonesia’s Labour Party has demanded that the 2024 elections be held on schedule and that they be transparent and fair during a May Day action in front of the General Elections Commission (KPU) building in Central Jakarta yesterday.

The protesters also rejected increases in the price of basic necessities such as cooking oil, 3 kilogram LPG gas canisters and subsidised Pertalite petrol — mostly used by the working class — in the traditional May Day rally, reports CNN Indonesia.

Labour Party president Said Iqbal said that they wanted to ensure that the candidates elected during the 2024 legislative and presidential elections were people who sided with workers.

• READ MORE: Other Indonesian elections reports

“An election which is fraudulent and unfair will result in DPR [House of Representatives] and DPRD [Regional House of Representative] legislative members who do not side with marginalised groups or workers, and because of this an honest and fair election is needed,” Iqbal told journalists.

Other demands made by the protesters included rejecting money politics.

The Labour Party and trade union bodies, said Iqbal, did not agree with the slogan “take the money, but don’t vote for the person” because it created a corrupting attitude.

“The Labour Party, along with trade union bodies, will be campaigning against money politics. The key lies with the KPU. The KPU must have the courage to disqualify [candidates] if money politics is found during the elections,” said Iqbal.

Iqbal conceded however that during yesterday’s action they had no plan to meet with KPU representatives. They wanted to convey their moral support for transparent elections.

He then highlighted the Omnibus Law, referring to it as the product of elections which used money politics.

“The Omnibus Law on Job Creation is a product which we think is a product which is full of corruptive [politics],” said Iqbal.

In addition to the Labour Party, a number of other organisations commemorated May Day today by holding actions at the KPU and the nearby Hotel Indonesia traffic circle in Central Jakarta.

Around 60 different trade unions are estimated to have taken part in the action at the KPU in which they demanded that the elections be held as planned on February 14, 2024.

Translation by James Balowski for IndoLeft News by CNN Indonesia. The original title of the lead article was “Ratusan Buruh Gelar May Day di Jakarta, Tuntut Pemilu Jujur dan Adil”.