Mentawai's firts regent sworn in

Mentawai's firts regent sworn in

Kasparman, The Jakarta Post, Padang

Despite mounting protests, West Sumatra Governor Zainal Bakar
finally swore in Edison Saleuleubaja as Mentawai's new and
inaugural regent and Aztarmizi as deputy regent in a ceremony
that attracted a heavy security presence from local police, in
the provincial capital, Padang, on Wednesday.

More than 200 police personnel were deployed to beef up
security during the hour-long ceremony conducted in the
governor's office, which took place as more than 500 people from
the regency held a demonstration to protest the inauguration.

Zainal said at the swearing-in ceremony that it was impossible
for him and the central government to cancel the inauguration
because the two had been elected in a fair and democratic vote by
the Mentawai legislative council.

"The fact that the two did not win a majority of votes in the
election is normal in a democracy. But what we should learn from
the election is that we should accept differences of opinion in
upholding democracy. Candidates who were defeated in the election
should accept their loss as well," he said.

The governor asked the new regent and his deputy to work hand
in hand to develop the regency and to improve local people's
social welfare.

"Mentawai has the Siberut National Park, forest and marine
resources to be explored to improve the quality of human
resources and to enhance local people's social welfare," he said.

The inauguration of Edison and Aztarmizi, who won ten of the
20 votes in the election in August, 2001, had been postponed
following various groups' protests against the two.

Cornelius Sabbailatti, coordinator of the demonstration, said
they opposed the pair's inauguration because Edison would be
unable to lead the regency.

"Besides being highly ambitious, Edison is no longer seen as a
symbol of unity in the regency's pluralist society," he said.

The demonstrators dispersed peacefully after the swearing-in
was completed.

Edison, a Protestant Church cleric, was nominated by the
Mentawai chapter of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle
(PDI Perjuangan) while Aztarmizi was nominated by the United
Development Party (PPP).