National groups rebuke Jefri for insult

National groups rebuke Jefri for insult
Haidir Anwar Tanjung
The Jakarta Post
Pekanbaru, Riau

Two prominent national organizations rebuked Kampar Regent Jefri
Noer on Tuesday for insulting the educational profession and
demanded he apologize for the incident.

"The Regent has insulted the profession of teachers as the
government's partners in education," the All Indonesian Teachers
Association (PGRI) said, as quoted by Antara news agency.

The statement refers to a recent incident when Jefri ordered
high school principal Abdul Latif Hasyim to leave a meeting after
Abdul questioned the regent's low budget for education in the
regency.

The Kampar Regency Council has formed a special committee to
deliberate the issue and would decide the fate of Jefri this
Saturday.

The incident has sparked massive protests by students and
teachers, who have demanded the regent step down for his insult
to the teaching profession.

The protests have continued for a week.

The PGRI gave its support to the protests, saying the
demonstrators were fighting for the dignity and pride of the
teaching profession.

The association called arrogant and unwise the threat by Jefri
to fire all teachers in Kampar involved in the protest.

In a statement, signed by chairman Mohammad Surya, it denied
the protest was engineered, saying the action was a clear
expression of anger from the students and teachers.

Its claim was backed up by a regency council team probing the
cause of the protests.

"We have visited many schools since Monday, and the teachers
and students all told us they were acting under their own
volition to hold the protests and strikes," team head Yurmailis
Saruji said, quoted by Antara.

The PGRI urged teachers and students to resume classes as
their demands Jefri step down were being deliberated by the
Kampar Regency Council.

Riau Governor Rusli Zainal agreed. "Let's leave the matter to
the Regency Council, which will immediately decide whether the
Kampar Regent has to be ousted. This is politics, and the
students should not be victims in the case," he said.

Meanwhile, the Presidium of the Islamic Students Association
Alumny Family (KAHMI) also urged Jefri to apologize for his
arrogance.

"A public official should not be arrogant responding to
critics and to the aspirations of his society. He should
apologize," KAHMI deputy chairman Abdul Asri Harahap told Antara.

In the Kampar capital of Bangkinang students and teachers
continued striking on Tuesday.

Thousands of teachers and students marched to the Kampar
Regency Hall in the heart of Bangkinang, leaving most schools in
the regency closed.

In separate development, Riau police chief Brig. Gen. Deddy
Sutardi Komaruddin said he had invited representatives of both
parties involved in the dispute to a sitdown meeting in Kampar.

The teachers were represented by Kampar PGRI chairman M. Yasir
and the regent was represented by Zulher, the secretary to the
Kampar Regency administration.