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).