Chaos in Kampar

It may be the buildup of pressure taking its toll, or it may simply be the arrogance of power finding an outlet. Whatever the cause, the uncontrolled outbursts of emotion that Kampar regent Jefri Noer has been displaying in the past few days cannot but worsen the damage he has already suffered.

Kampar regency in the northern Sumatra province of Riau with its 400,000 population is not usually a region considered important enough to merit headline news in Jakarta's newspapers. To Jefri, therefore, must go the dubious credit of bringing his region to the attention of a perplexed public in the capital and, no doubt, beyond.

What, then, is wrong in Jefri's area of jurisdiction? For one thing, Bangkinang, his regency's capital, has over the past week been the scene of massive demonstrations, staged daily by more than 40,000 striking teachers and students protesting Jefri's insulting treatment of a much respected secondary school principal in the modestly sized town.

Jefri, who was elected on Nov. 27, 2001, began his term as regent of the regency well enough. He appeared to be committed to fighting corruption in Kampar, but his moves to create a sense of modesty seemed to cramp the style of many senior officials and prominent businessmen. He did not hesitate to personally monitor tender processes for government projects. He even distributed replicas of small coffins containing mock corpses to all senior local officials to remind them of retribution in the afterlife for graft.

Not surprisingly, allegations arose that Jefri was only pretending to be clean as a cover to hide his own murky past. Jefri himself admits that he had been a disreputable timber entrepreneur and contractor, although "that is all in the past now". Still, harmful allegations persisted, including one that Jefri may have used a faked high school diploma to get past the eligibility test for candidates for the post of regent.

On Oct. 12, 2002, the Kampar Regency Legislative Council unanimously voted to propose that the central government dismiss Jefri and his deputy, A. Zakir, on the grounds of violations committed during their term in office. Under the new decentralization law, the dismissal of senior government officials is the President's prerogative.

As it turned out, all that was only a prelude for the real storm that was to come. On Feb. 5, a discussion was arranged between the regent and teachers' representatives to resolve differences between the two parties. During the meeting, the question was raised by one of the teachers present, principal Abdul Latif Hasyim, why only 5.39 percent of the regional budget had been set aside for education, instead of the 20 percent stipulated in the Constitution.

Stung by the question coming from a "mere" teacher, which he apparently took personally, Jefri flew into a rage and rudely told Abdul Latif to leave the room. A strike was consequently called involving all 7,000 teachers and 100,000 students in the regency. In addition, the teachers and students demanded that Jefri be fired. Undeterred, however, Jefri publicly announced that all the teachers taking part in the protest would be dismissed, and teachers from other regions would be called in to replace them.

Quite understandably, the incident has come to the attention of the highest levels of government in Jakarta. Indra Jati Sidi, the director general of basic and secondary education at the Ministry of National Education, for example, said Jefri's threat was "unrealistic, emotional and impossible to carry out". Even though under the new deregulation law teachers are employees of the regency in which they are employed, the administrative consequences of replacing so many teachers at the same time would certainly affect the budgetary arrangements between the central government and the region concerned, he said. Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Jusuf Kalla concurred, saying that "it is impossible to simply replace 7,000 teachers".

Perhaps the most reasonable suggestion to resolve the dispute to date has come from Amien Rais, the People's Consultative Assembly speaker, who proposed that all the parties involved in the conflict sit down together to find the best possible solution for the regency. Certainly, emotional outbursts that can easily be mistaken for arrogance are most regrettable, especially when they come from such highly placed dignitaries as Jefri. Prestige may be important, but in the end, it is the future of the next generation that counts most of all.