Ciamis regent demands subordinates' loyalty

Ciamis regent demands subordinates' loyalty

Nana Rukmana, The Jakarta Post, Cirebon

West Java Deputy Governor Moch. Husein Jachjasaputra regretted
Ciamis Regent Oman Subarna's move asking all village and
subdistrict heads in the regency to express their loyalty to him,
saying it was not in line with the reform movement.

He said he did not know Oman's reasons for the move but would
summon him to seek clarification on it.

"Oman's move is unjustifiable. And it is not necessary for him
to ask subdistrict and village heads to sign official letters on
their loyalty to Oman in his capacity as a regent because the
village and subdistrict heads are assumed by the law to do so,"
he told The Jakarta Post on the sidelines of a meeting of
regional administration secretaries here on Thursday.

Husein insisted that both village heads and subdistrict chiefs
were allowed to have separate opinions in the administration
because the difference of opinion was guaranteed by the law.

Oman ordered all village heads and subdistrict chiefs in the
regency early this month to sign a letter of loyalty to him for
unclear reasons. And no village heads and subdistrict chiefs
ignored the order despite village heads' powerful position in the
regional autonomy law.

According to the law issued in 1999, villages, locally known
as nagari have their own authority to determine their own
territory and village heads are allowed to make rulings for their
own territory which are not to be intervened by regents.

A similar thing also happened early last month when South
Kalimantan Governor Sjachriel Darham who was impeached by the
provincial legislature in the middle of August, 2002, ordered all
officials and staff in his office to express their loyalty to
him.

Meanwhile, Oman was not available at his residence for comment
on Thursday, but his aides said he was still in Jakarta for an
official trip.

But, the secretary of the Ciamis regional administration,
Irman B. Kusumah looked anxious when he was asked to comment on
the loyalty letters.

He admitted that the regent gave the order to the village
heads and subdistrict chiefs but he did not know whether the
loyalty was sought for Oman in his personal capacity or in his
status as regent.

"It is better for you to make a check with the village heads
and subdistrict chiefs," he said.