Governor to summon regent over Koran controversy
Nana Rukmana and Yuli Tri Suwarni, The Jakarta Post, Bandung/Indramayu
West Java Governor Danny Setiawan said on Tuesday he would summon Indramayu Regent Irianto M.S. Syafiuddin to explain why a Koran had been published with Irianto's picture inside.
However, Irianto could only be asked to clarify the matter once he had received an official letter of permission from Director General of Regional Autonomy Progo Nurdjaman, Danny said. Progo has already instructed Danny to question Irianto over the matter.
Danny said the controversy of over the holy book -- that has the regent's picture on the first page as well as a short blurb campaigning for his reelection in the next 2005-2010 term -- began because of a printing error.
"I think the regent did not suspect that the printing mistake would have had such a great impact," he said after the opening of the Ninth Indonesia-Malaysia Cultural Symposium at Bandung's Padjadjaran University.
Danny said the regent's picture as well as his vision and mission statement were originally intended to go on a bookmark attached to the Koran but a printing mixup meant it ran on the first page instead.
The public outcry the move sparked peaked on Monday, with hundreds of people staging protests outside the Indramayu Legislative Council and the regent's office, demanding the regent apologize to all Muslims and his administration withdraw all of the more than 4,000 copies of the Koran in circulation. They also called for the police and the prosecutor's office to investigate the case.
The use of the Koran for the regent's political campaign was also condemned by ulema, who said the act was haram, or prohibited in Islam.
On Tuesday, Indramayu Election Commission Committee head Kurdi Sutisna said the body had no authority to stop the regent from running for a second term in October.
"The only (body) with the authority to stop someone from running for regent is the courts ... So, as long as there is no court decision on the matter, anyone, including the Indramayu regent, can take part," Kurdi said.
Registrations for candidates wanting to run for regent in the poll would be opened in July, he said.
A tired-looking Irianto said late on Monday that he was willing to step down from his post if the people no longer wanted him. He said he currently had no plans to contest the October vote.
"No need to wait (people), if you don't support me any more, I'm ready to step down as regent right now," said Irianto, whose term in office will end on Dec. 11.
Irianto said he sincerely regretted the incident and had apologized on many different occasions about it to Indramayu residents and to Muslims generally.
"But if that's not enough, and people no longer want me, I'm ready to resign," he said.