Gen. Hartono the undesirable

Gen. Hartono the undesirable

JAKARTA (JP): Villagers in Bengkalis, Riau, are taking offense at a four-meter tall statue of Gen. (ret) R. Hartono standing to attention in his full military uniform at an oil palm plantation belonging to powerful tycoon Liem Sioe Liong.

Villagers have asked the provincial councilors to use their influence to have the statue removed, saying that the company is using it to "terrorize" indigenous people trying to reclaim their land taken for the project.

"The statue is useless so why should it be there," said one of the villagers who took their protest to the legislative council.

It is not known when the statue was erected but villagers said that Gen. Hartono, a former army chief, was present when it was dedicated earlier this year, Antara reported yesterday.

Hartono, a close ally of former president Soeharto, reportedly had to reach the site on foot because the jeep that took him to the plantation got a flat tire.

Residents said the statue was erected before the "reform era" when the authoritarian Soeharto was still in power.

"It would have been OK if the statue was one of Riau's heroes like Tuanku Tambusai, Raja Ali Haji or Sultan Syarief Qasim because it would have a historical value. But Hartono?" another local said. (pan)