Pandeglang Residents Sign Petition in Blood Over Decades of Damaged Roads

Residents of five hamlets in Cijaralang Village, Cimanggu District, have voiced their frustration over a road that has remained in a state of disrepair for decades, resorting to a petition signed in blood. Photographs taken on Monday (22/6/2026) show the road is unpaved, steep, and strewn with large rocks, forcing locals to exercise extreme caution when traversing it. Local resident Sujana stated that the poor condition severely hampers mobility and endangers the community. “It has not been built for a long time, the road is in an emergency state, dangerous for children and the sick. There are two extreme inclines that cannot be passed, especially when it rains,” he said on Monday. Sujana explained that the damaged road serves as the main access route for residents from the Cigeulis and Cimanggu sub-districts. He urged the government to be more sensitive to the hardships faced by the community. “Our request is not extravagant, we are not asking for kilometres of road. If the budget allows for just one kilometre, help us. The main thing is that our children can travel safely every day,” he said. Sujana revealed that 59 representatives from the five hamlets created the petition by pressing their blood-soaked fingerprints onto a white paper alongside their signatures, hoping to spur government action. He described the use of blood as a symbol of their profound suffering and a last resort to demonstrate the urgency of their plea. “It is a symbol of pain, the last drop of blood, a truly sincere request, a symbol of emergency,” he said. He noted that the damaged road section falls under the authority of the Pandeglang Regency Government, yet no repair efforts have been forthcoming. Consequently, the residents are now appealing directly to the Governor of Banten, Andra Soni, to urgently address their grievances. “Our only hope is the Governor. We have no hope left in the Pandeglang administration; if they had wanted to act, they would have done so long ago,” he remarked. The 59 residents from five hamlets in Cijaralang Village, Cimanggu District, Pandeglang Regency, signed the petition with their blood, demanding immediate action on the road that has been damaged for decades.