Education minister, Sutiyoso summoned over SMP 56 dispute

Education minister, Sutiyoso summoned over SMP 56 dispute

M. Taufiqurrahman, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Post

The House of Representatives Commission VI for human resources
and religious affairs named Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso, Minister
of National Education Abdul Malik Fajar and businessman Abdul
Latief as responsible for the situation at SMP 56 state junior
high school.

Classes were taught in the parking lot on Monday as the school
had been taken over by the Jakarta administration on Sunday.

The House will summon the three parties for a hearing on
alleged irregularities in the takeover.

"We will summon them immediately, possibly for our first
hearing next week," said deputy chairman of the commission Heri
Akhmadi of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) on
Tuesday during a meeting of the party and SMP 56 students,
teachers and parents.

According to Heri, the occupation of the building by public
order officers and police was intolerable. He said the children
had the right to continue their education.

"The takeover was a violation of the presidential decree that
stipulates a land swap deal worth over Rp 10 billion (US$1.12
million) must be approved by the President," he said.

He regretted the governor's involvement in the conflict.

"The land swap deal only concerns developer PT Tata Disantara
and the Ministry of National Education (through the city
intermediate and higher education agency). Sutiyoso should not
have meddled in the dispute despite his argument that the
decentralization of educational affairs enabled him to do so," he
said.

The dispute started in 2001 when the ministry, and developer
PT Tata Disantara -- owned by former manpower minister Latief --
signed a land swap deal. Two school buildings in Jeruk Purut and
Bintaro, both in South Jakarta, would be bartered for the school
grounds on Jl. Melawai Raya, South Jakarta under the deal.

Teachers, students and parents refused the deal, arguing the
new location in Jeruk Purut was too far from their homes. They
also suspected irregularities in the deal and filed a civil
lawsuit against it.

The South Jakarta District Court rejected the suit last
December but the Jakarta High Court ordered the deal could not be
executed, pending a final verdict.

However, the administration insisted on proceeding with the
deal and on many occasions deployed public order officers to
force students and teachers to leave the school.

Prior to the April 5 election the administration had agreed to
delay the takeover.

Another PDI-P legislator Permadi said, if Sutiyoso was
reluctant to wait for the court's verdict on the land swap deal,
students, teachers, parents and the public could unite in a move
to unseat the governor.

"We could start a second Kampar movement," he said in fury,
referring to the mass protest in Kampar regency, Riau province
whereby educators had successfully demanded the dismissal of
regent Jefri Noer.