Cirebon students, NGOs rally, to seek officials' resignation
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.