Regent told to step down after Flores arson attack

Yemris Fointuna, The Jakarta Post, Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara

The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan), the largest faction in the East Flores Regency Council, proclaimed on Thursday that it had withdrawn support for Regent Felix Fernandez for his failure to meet "the people's aspirations".

"He must resign," Kristo Blasin, a senior PDI Perjuangan executive, told The Jakarta Post.

Felix is a member of President Megawati Soekarnoputri's PDI Perjuangan.

The statement came after thousands of local residents launched arson attacks on a courthouse and the prosecutor's office in the East Flores capital of Larantuka.

The attacks occurred after a panel of judges sentenced local Catholic priest Father Frans Amanuen to two months in jail for libel, with a probation period of five months -- meaning he will not go to prison unless he reoffends within the next five months.

The sentence has garnered increasing support and sympathy for the priest, who has consistently criticized the regent for alleged graft.

At the same time, the sentence sharply reduced the popularity of the regent among the local people.

There has been growing demands for the regent to provide clarification over an alleged mark up in the purchase of a multi- purpose boat for local government amounting to Rp 3 billion (US$352,941), among other projects.

"As a cadre of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, he has failed to live up to people's expectations for good governance. He must resign," said Kristo, who is the deputy speaker of the East Flores legislative council.

The regent is apparently not the only target of local political leaders.

Following the arson attack, the central executive board of the Catholic Democratic Party (PKD) also decided that the party would recall cadre Anton Mado Tupen from his current position as the speaker of the East Flores legislative council over his failure to meet people's interests.

The central board of the party issued a decree that dismissed Anton as a member of the party, and it would soon follow up the move with the recall.

The decree, dated Nov. 19, was signed by the party's acting chairman Jos Rahawadan and secretary-general Ellyas Nyoman.

In the decree, the executive board said that Anton's failure to help implement good governance and justice in the regency had led to the arson attack, it said.

In a separate development, the Larantuka District Court and the local prosecutor's office were still closed as of Thursday.

Most of the judges and prosecutors have fled Larantuka, fearing they might become the target of assaults by angry local residents.

Of the six judges at the Larantuka District Court, five of them had fled Larantuka, leaving Wayan Suparta, the head of the district court.

Eight prosecutors have also fled Larantuka, leaving Katar Ginting, the head of Larantuka prosecutor's office, as the only prosecutor staying put.

The head of East Nusa Tenggara Prosecutor's Office, B.R. Pangaribuan, who oversees Larantuka Prosecutor's Office, said that he would consult the attorney general in Jakarta, to seek a solution to the problem.

Police have arrested three men who took part in the Saturday riot. They were identified as Yohanis Sabon, Agustinus Diaz and Wem.

The three have been questioned by police. But it remains unclear if they were the masterminds of the violence or not.

The suspects had admitted taking part in the rioting, the local police said.