Women’s Protest for Milk
Women activists protested against Suharto’s authoritarianism before the 1998 Reformasi. Their activism was smartly camouflaged under the scarcity of baby formula.
Raymundus Rikang
May 22, 2023
ON Monday, February 23, 1998, Karlina Supelli hurried toward the Hotel Indonesia (HI) Roundabout in Jakarta to protest alongside women activists. That day, three months before student protests demanding the 1998 Reformasi, Karlina and her friends fought against the skyrocketing price of milk that followed the economic crisis.
Dozens of police officers stood guard and observed the HI Roundabout protestors. But their attention was focused on Karli
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