Megawati reprimands minister over treasure hunt<\/p>\n
Tiarma Siboro and Theresia Sufa, Jakarta\/Bogor<\/p>\n
The government called on Wednesday for an end to the polemic over
\na treasure dig at the Batutulis protected historic site in the
\nWest Java town of Bogor, after President Megawati Soekarnoputri
\nreprimanded Minister of Religious Affairs Said Agil Al Munawar
\nover the case.<\/p>\n
Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Yusuf Kalla said
\nafter a ministerial meeting that the President's reprimand was
\nconsidered sanction enough for Said Agil for his ordering of an
\nillegal excavation in an area of cultural significance.<\/p>\n
\"President Megawati has rebuked the minister, who has also
\nconveyed his apologies to the public,\" Kalla said. It was the
\nfirst time since assuming power in July last year that the
\nPresident has acted so firmly against one of her ministers.<\/p>\n
During his visit to Medan on Tuesday, Said Agil apologized to
\nthe Sundanese community and the Indonesian people in general for
\nthe excavations, which have since been stopped. The minister
\nrepeated his apology during a press briefing at his official
\nresidence on Jl. Wijaya Chandra in South Jakarta on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
Kalla said the reprimand, apologies and halting of the dig
\nwere enough for the government to declare the case closed,
\nalthough the police have said the legal process against the
\nminister could go ahead.<\/p>\n
Said Agil has come under fire over the past week for ordering
\nthe excavations near a stone inscription left by the ancient
\nPajajaran kingdom, whose territory mostly covered West Java. In
\nhis argument, the minister said he was following the advice of a
\ncleric who somehow \"detected\" the presence of the treasure.<\/p>\n
Various cultural and youth groups in West Java have demanded
\nSaid Agil's resignation for insulting their pride, demands which
\nhe has so far rejected.<\/p>\n
Said Agil retracted his earlier claim that his move had been
\napproved by the President.<\/p>\n
\"I told her the story after a Cabinet meeting on Aug. 19, but
\nat that time she was not paying attention,\" the minister said.<\/p>\n
Megawati was quoted by her aide Pramono Anung on Tuesday as
\nsaying that she had never thrown her weight behind the minister's
\nplan.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Bogor Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Setyo Wasisto
\nsaid the questioning of 12 witnesses in the case could lead to an
\ninvestigation of the minister.<\/p>\n
\"Just wait and see after Monday,\" Setyo said.<\/p>\n
Causing damage to an historic site carries a maximum sentence
\nof 10 years in jail under the 1992 law on protected cultural
\nsites.<\/p>\n
A police source who requested anonymity quoted a witness as
\nsaying that Said Agil ordered South Bogor district chief Achmad
\nAdjidji and Batutulis subdistrict chief Taspin to excavate the
\nhistoric site ostensibly so that it could be renovated. On
\nWednesday last week, he himself supervised the excavations, which
\nwere carried out by eight diggers who were paid Rp 400,000 each.<\/p>\n
Both Achmad and Adjidji were concerned about the project and
\nasked the diggers to halt the project pending a permit from an
\nauthorized agency.<\/p>\n
Also, representatives of student organizations across West
\nJava added to the pressure on Said Agil to resign. They
\nthreatened to mobilize thousands of students to rally against the
\nminister in Jakarta if he failed to heed their demands.<\/p>\n
The students came from various colleges including the Bandung
\nInstitute of Technology, Padjadjaran University, Juanda
\nUniversity and Parahyangan University.<\/p>\n
They rallied near the Batutulis site to ask Megawati to
\ndismiss Said Agil for incompetence.<\/p>\n
\"The rallies will continue until Said Agil steps down. We were
\nsilent when the Rancamaya historic site was demolished for a
\nluxury housing complex and a golf course. We are not going to
\nremain quiet again,\" Galih Santika, a student leader said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/megawati-reprimands-minister-over-treasure-hunt-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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