Political analysts regret Tanggamus issue

Political analysts regret Tanggamus issue

Oyos Saroso H.N.
The Jakarta Post
Bandarlampung

A number of village heads from Tanggamus regency, Lampung have
resigned following the regency legislative council's acceptance
of Tanggamus Regent Achmadsyah Putra's accountability speech for
his 1997 to 2002 term of office.

According to sources in the regency, more than 40 village
heads had announced their resignation to their own village
councils because they said they could no longer cooperate with
Achmadsyah who was expected to win his second term in office.

Buyung, chief of the Belu Village in Kotaagung subdistrict,
said he resigned because he was disappointed with the legislative
council which accepted the regent's accountability speech.

"It is the fact the legislative council has turned their deaf
ears from the people, including head heads, and it looks as
though they will no longer be accommodative in the future. So,
it's better for us to step down," he told The Jakarta Post by
telephone on Friday.

More than 100 uniformed village heads threatened to quit their
jobs to protest the council's decision to accept the regent's
final progress report during its plenary session on Wednesday.
The protests revolve around Achmadsyah's alleged involvement in
corruption cases during his term of office.

The village heads are supporters of legislature chairman Muaz
Munziri, another regent candidate. They conducted the protest
because the decision would allow Achmadsyah to run for regent for
a second term.

Rahmatuddin, chairman of the Association of Village Heads in
the regency, concurred, saying local chapters of political
parties should monitor their councillors in the legislative
council because they were not committed to upholding democracy.

He also said most village heads who joined the anti-Achmadsyah
movement would likely resign for fears of possible retaliatory
action from Achmadsyah's success team as he was expected to win
the upcoming regency election for the second period.

Armen Yasir, a constitutional law expert from Lampung
University in Bandar Lampung, regretted the village and
subdistrict chiefs' move, saying it set a bad precedent for
regional autonomy in the province.

"Regional autonomy is aimed at developing the democracy that
can be implemented through the democratic election of a regent.
The village and subdistrict heads' move is against democracy
because they want to force their will. They have rights to oppose
Achmadsyah but they could not force the legislative council to
accept all the things they want to do," he said.

Jauhari Zailani, a political expert from the private
University of Bandar Lampung, said both the legislative council
and village heads should learn from the problem to help develop
democracy.

Muas Munziri denied that he had used his success team to
persuade the village and subdistrict chiefs to prevent Achmadsyah
to quit his candidacy for the incoming regent election.

"The move is purely at the initiative of the village and
subdistrict heads," he said.