No one wants village head job

No one wants village head job

PURWOKERTO, Central Java: Eighty villages in Banyumas regency
may face a power vacuum because no candidates have registered to
run for the usually much-coveted job of village head.

Solikhin, a resident of Cilongok village, said no one was
interested in the job because village heads throughout the
province who were considered corrupt or inept had been recently
pressured to step down.

"Usually the competition for the job is tough," he said.
Recent demonstrations in many areas have forced village heads to
resign, something unheard of before former president Soeharto
himself resigned following huge public pressure.

In Banyumas alone, 75 village heads have stepped down, many of
them facing sharp public criticism. In Sumbang subdistrict, the
village chief and his helpers were kept hostage for 24 hours and
were released only when they agreed to resign.

In an effort to attract candidates, regent Aris Setiono has
lowered the requirements for the position. "Before, the minimum
education was a senior high school diploma. Now it is only
required that the candidate have an elementary school education,"
Aris said.

The election for village heads will be held from Oct. 17 to
Nov. 7, he added. (45)