Protesters give regent thumbs down

TANGERANG (JP): About 150 people went to the local council here in three trucks yesterday to urge the central government not to reelect regent Saifullah AR.

One of the protest leaders, Jamaluddin, said the group demanded that the Tangerang councilors propose candidates other than Saifullah as regent for the 1998 to 2003 term.

He said that Saifullah had done practically nothing for the regency while in office, even though he was now serving his second five-year term.

"Where's the proposed bridge? Where are the roads? Where's the clean river campaign?" he asked.

"Compared to neighboring Tangerang municipality, our regency is nothing!"

The protesters were mostly in their 20s and 30s.

They had come from six districts under the supervision of Tangerang regency: Balaraja, Cikupa, Pakuhaji, Mauk, Pasar Kemis and Kresek.

They said they regretted that Saifullah and his staff had failed to ensure significant development over the past 10 years, or to get closer to the regency's lower class people.

Saifullah's administration had not even managed to close a small food stall which provided prostitutes as well as meals, said another of the group's leaders, Syaiful Riza.

One protester screamed: "Look at the dark color of the polluted water flowing in the Cimanceuri river.

"Should we take action only after a human being or livestock dies of drinking the toxic water?"

The protesters also wanted to know why moving the regency's capital from Tangerang to Tigaraksa had been repeatedly postponed.

Forty of the group were received by several city councilors.

Councilor Ebby Jauhari said the council praised the protesters' concern.

Ebby said their protest letter would immediately be sent to the regent election body.

However, according to existing procedure, the central government would send a supervision team to examine the development progress achieved by the regent prior to the election, he said.

Tangerang Council Speaker Burhanuddin Somawinata urged local officials, particularly councilors, to listen to the protesters' demands. (41/bsr)