End of a regent
End of a regent
The long and sickening struggle of the people of Kampar regency, Riau province, ended on Thursday when Minister of Home Affairs Hari Sabarno finally suspended controversial Regent Jefri Noer and his deputy.
The decision was announced before Kampar representatives who had visited the ministry in Jakarta to voice their demands for the regent's dismissal. They were ecstatic at the news, shaking hands with each other, with some bursting into tears.
In Kampar, people celebrated the decision in their own way. The residents, mostly civil servants, teachers, students and students' parents, could not hide their happiness. Many shed tears at the minister's decision.
Minister Hari Sabarno also suggested that the Riau governor appoint a new regent to deal with the regency's day-to-day administrative affairs. Jefri and his deputy, HA Zakir, are not permitted to continue in their jobs until the case is settled.
Such has been the result of the regent's arrogance. The story started after Jefri expelled a school principal from an official meeting in February because he queried the small budgetary allocation for education.
The expulsion of the principal from the meeting obviously triggered anger among teachers, students and civil servants, who then held street protests demanding that Jefri be dismissed.
The regency legislative council eventually recommended that Jefri and his deputy step down. However, the minister of home affairs failed to respond quickly to the recommendation and allowed the problem to fester.
The dispute reached a peak on Tuesday when a demonstration by teachers, students and civil servants turned violent, leaving two students hospitalized with gunshot wounds.
The central government's sluggishness in taking prompt action appears to have caused the civil unrest in the regency. The Kampar case is clearly an expensive lesson that must be learned by both the regency and province, as well as the central government.
-- Suara Karya, Jakarta