Cirebon students, NGOs rally, to seek officials' resignation

Nana Rukmana, The Jakarta Post, Cirebon

Hundreds of students and members of non-governmental organizations held a rally in Cirebon, West Java, on Friday, to demand the resignations of all government officials responsible for the release of 17 containers of smuggled goods from the city port.

They staged the rally in front of the Cirebon City Council building, where dozens of officials from the Cirebon Customs and Excise Office, the prosecutor's office and the police were attending a ceremony to celebrate the 632nd anniversary of Cirebon.

The demonstrators accused the officials of negligence in handling the smuggling case, which involves luxury cars and electronics goods valued at Rp 20.5 billion (US$2.07 million).

The demonstrators came from the Student Movement Front and Anti-Smuggling Youth, the Movement of Indonesia's Nationalist Students, the Democratic Youth, the Indonesian Young Oxen, Student Solidarity for Democracy and the non-governmental organizations Fordisma 45 and AMPERA.

"The release of 17 of the 19 containers of smuggled items proves that the Customs and Excise Office, prosecutors, the police and other officials are not serious in doing their jobs. We demand that the smuggling case be resolved quickly," said rally coordinator Imam Yahya.

The 19 containers of luxury cars and electronic goods arrived in Indonesia on Jan. 10.

The containers arrived at the port in Cirebon under the name of PT Tiang Grage. They were shipped from Singapore by Santosa Jaya Ships under the Panama flag.

The Cirebon Customs and Excise Office released 17 of the containers, saying that only two containers had arrived at the port illegally.

Imam told The Jakarta Post the rally had been organized to express the public's distrust of the government's handling of the case and to support the Cirebon City Council, which issued a vote of no confidence against the government institutions for their failure to deal with the matter.

"Unfortunately, the council has no legal authority over the case so the government officials can easily sideline the council members," Imam said.

During the rally, protesters demanded the Cirebon Customs and Excise Office be closed and that the chiefs of the prosecutor's office and the local police resign.

"We also ask that the Cirebon mayor and the West Java governor resign if they are unable to handle the smuggling case. We are serious in our demands, and we will be back if they are not fully met," Imam said.

Kumaedhi Syafrudin, the West Java provincial assistant, who represented Governor Nuriana at the ceremony, could not say what steps would be taken by the administration to resolve the case.

"We will continue to monitor the issue. But we will let the institutions concerned handle it in Cirebon," he told The Jakarta Post.

Other officials at the ceremony, including those from the police, the customs office and the prosecutor's office, did not speak to the press or the demonstrators as they left the ceremony.

The city councillors, however, were happy to meet with the demonstrators.

City Council chairman Soenaryo WH said he supported the rally, which was aimed at strengthening legal supremacy.

"We fully support the rally because what they are demanding is in line with our determination to combat smuggling," he said.