Locals protest MPR representatives

PONTIANAK, West Kalimantan: A mob of local residents vandalized the provincial legislature building on Wednesday to protest what they called the unfair composition of representatives to the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR).

Antara reported the mob stopped its rampage and dispersed after the legislators met their demand for changes to the lineup of the province's representatives to the Assembly.

The new lineup is composed of two representatives from the ethnic Malay community, two Dayak representatives and one representative from the Chinese-Indonesian community.

The legislature earlier elected three Malays to the Assembly at the expense of the Dayaks, who earned a lone Assembly representative. Each of Indonesia's provinces is allotted five seats in the Assembly, which is currently meeting in Jakarta.

West Kalimantan is home to numerous ethnic groups, including the Madurese, Chinese-Indonesians, Dayaks and Malays.

No casualties were reported in the incident, but a legislator from the military faction, Suharsono, estimated material losses from the violence could reach hundreds of millions of rupiah. (emf)