Masinton Speaks Out After Facing Removal Threat in Central Tapanuli
The Regent of Central Tapanuli, Masinton Pasaribu, has spoken out about threats to remove him from office over allegations of unprofessional management of the regional budget.
Masinton described the impeachment move as a political scenario orchestrated by groups or party factions unwilling to accept their defeat in the 2024 regional elections. According to him, they are the same parties that failed to get their single candidate elected.
“They scripted a single candidate in the 2024 regional elections and it failed. In that election, the ticket they backed was defeated by the people of Central Tapanuli,” Masinton said when contacted on Sunday (6/9).
The PDI-P politician noted that this is not the first time talk of removing him has surfaced. Previously, he said, similar impeachment rhetoric had been directed massively at three acting regents during the 2022-2024 period.
Masinton alleged that those pushing for his removal are a small group politicising the floods that struck Central Tapanuli.
“They sit in the regional parliament yet have never deliberated the draft regional regulations proposed by the Central Tapanuli district government to accelerate development in the wake of the disaster,” he said.
Five party factions in the Central Tapanuli Regional House of Representatives (DPRD) are driving the push to remove Masinton: NasDem, Golkar, Gerindra, PAN, and PKB. They contend that the wheels of government in the district are not running optimally and that budget management has been unprofessional.
Hazmi Arif Simatupang, spokesperson for the five factions, said they had found indications of poor budget management.
Beyond the budget issue, the five parties have also criticised the handling of the floods that hit Central Tapanuli. They judged the regional government’s response to be slow and the distribution of aid to victims inadequate.
“We are also raising and considering taking a political stance through the Central Tapanuli DPRD, up to the point of removing Regent Masinton Pasaribu from office,” he said on Saturday (5/9).