Banyuwangi's regent resigns

Banyuwangi Regent, T. Purnomo Sidik has finally resigned from his post. He stepped down after an organization known as the Group of 101 insisted that he relinquish the position. The demand was part of a package deal proposed to resolve the mysterious mass killings of alleged black magic practitioners in East Java early this year.

We understand Purnomo Sidik's willingness to resign to be in response to the fact that locals lost confidence in his leadership and withdrew support. The regent was widely perceived as incapable of solving the killings. However, some people believed he had the capacity to resolve the horror in which more than a hundred people were killed. They also suspected his involvement in the incidents.

The regent's decision to resign, at the urging of the regional legislature, is an act that is far more honorable and far more constitutional than if he were forced to so under public pressure. Furthermore, waiting for the latter to happen would provide a dangerous precedent, since this kind of action could lead to the emergence of people's courts.

-- Jawa Pos, Surabaya