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.