More teachers quizzed over regent's ouster

Haidir Anwar Tanjung, The Jakarta Post, Pekanbaru, Riau

Police here questioned three more educators on Wednesday in connection with weeks of protests that resulted in the recent ouster of Kampar Regent Jefri Noer in Riau province.

The three concerned were Facrul Rozi, Yusailin and Abunawas who are respectively the heads of education and sports offices in Tambang, in West Bangkinang, and Kampar Kota subdistricts.

The three teachers were quizzed at the Riau Police detective unit in Pekanbaru, the capital of Riau.

Riau Police spokesman Adj. Sr. Comr. Syarif Pandiangan said the suspects were summoned for their role in deploying students to protest against the regent from Jan. 10 in Bangkinang, the capital of Kampar.

He argued that the students involved in the demonstrations were under the age of 17.

"That's why the educators are charged with Article 87 of Law No. 23/2002 on child protection. They are threatened with a maximum penalty of five years in prison," Syarif said.

He said the investigation would determine whether the suspects had deliberately deployed underage students to protest against the regent.

Syarif said that more teachers could be summoned for questioning in the case.

"Our investigation will develop based on witnesses' statements. However, we cannot determine how many educators in Kampar will be questioned," he said.

On Monday, the police questioned three other educators in relation to the protests. They were Kampar's Indonesian Teachers Association (PGRI) chairman M. Yasir, Siak Hulu subdistrict education and sports office head Abdul Muis and former Kampar education and sports head Basrun.

Separately, lawyer for the teachers Yuwilis said that 20 questions were posed to his three clients on Wednesday, all of which were related to the manipulation of students in the protests.

He denied that the educators had ordered their underage students to take part in the protests, claiming that the students had participated willingly.

"Teachers in Kampar even asked their students to continue studying in schools, but they protested of their own volition," Yuwilis added.

However, the police claimed that they had obtained evidence including a circular dated March 21 that asked teachers and students in Kampar to stage a strike.

Local civil servants also participated in the strike, which paralyzed classes and public services in the regency. The strike was engineered to press the central government to approve the dismissal of Jefri Noer as regent by the Kampar legislative council.

On March 25, Minister of Home Affairs Hari Sabarno issued a decree endorsing Jefri's ouster, sparking joyful celebrations involving thousands of teachers, students and civil servants.

Riau Governor Rusli Zaenal, who was appointed to take over the Kampar regency, said on Wednesday he had ordered local administration secretary Zulher to act as the caretaker of the regental administration.

Jefri had been under fire since February, when he reportedly expelled a teacher from a meeting for questioning the administration's low budget for education.

The expulsion was seen as an insult to the teaching profession.