On Tuesday, nine women from the Kendeng Mountains in Central Java began an unusual but powerful protest. To demonstrate against the planned construction of a cement plant in their community, the women encased their feet in blocks of cement in front of the State Palace and promised to keep them on until they were able to meet with President Joko Widodo directly in order to tell him exactly why they opposed the plant.
It looks like the women’s protest has been successful, as members of Jokowi’s senior staff have promised them that they will soon get the opportunity to meet with the president.
“The nine women were promised a meeting with the President Jokowi. Due to his heavy schedule, they are willing to wait for Jokowi’s availability,” Yunita, a lawyer with the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute (LBH), told Tempo today. LBH has been assisting the women with their protest and was housing them in their office at night during their cement cast protest.
Yunita said that the promise came directly from Presidential Chief of Staff Teten Masduki and Secretary of State Pratikno, who met with the women yesterday in front of the State Palace at around 6pm yesterday.
“The presidential staff came and promised that they would later get to meet with Jokowi. The ladies believe that their objectives have been met,” Yunita said.
At around 7pm, the woman’s feet were carefully freed from their cement blocks. Fortunately, Yunita said none of them experienced any injuries from the experience.
LBH is currently coordinating with the State Palace to arrange for the women’s meeting with the president, where they will tell Jokowi about their concerns regarding the planned cement plant set to be built by PT Semen Indonesia. The protesters believe that the plant will destroy the environment of their homes in the Kendeng Mountains and ruin the lives of many people living there.
