Residents protest road access to Catholic school

Residents protest road access to Catholic school

Multa Fidrus and Abdul Khalik, The Jakarta Post, Tangerang/Jakarta

Although the road access to Sang Timur Catholic school in Karang
Tengah, Tangerang regency, has again been blockaded by protesting
local residents, students keep coming to school.

As their cars cannot reach the school, parents have to drop
off their children on the main road and let them to walk to
school.

"Our children have to walk at least 500 meters to reach the
school as no cars can enter the school from Jl. Raden Saleh. They
have to walk along a small path to get to the school," Hillon
Goa, one of parents, told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.

Most students, he said, do not mind walking that far but many
of them have disabilities.

"The school has autistic students, who find it hard to reach
the school. Their parents have to accompany them every day as
they panic easily," Hillon said.

Several residents of Karang Tengah housing complex have
blocked the 100-meter long and four-meter wide road which is
still under construction since Sunday morning. The residents
blocked the road that leads to the school by building zinc fences
to separate it from the main road, Jl. Raden Saleh.

They also put a banner that reads: Local residents support the
closure of the road access.

The residents were protesting the construction of the road,
arguing that the school's management Karya Sang Timur Foundation
had no right to be granted a permit from the administration to
acquire land in the area and to construct its own road access.

"We were not informed about this at all ... The foundation
claimed it had obtained approval from the Tangerang municipal
administration," said Laman, head of community unit No. 13 in the
housing complex.

The residents are refusing to remove the zinc fence until the
administration provides an explanation.

The residents blockaded two roads to the school on Oct. 3 last
year and built a concrete wall in front of the school's main
gate, saying that they were disturbed by the presence of the cars
taking up the road when the car owners attended religious
services held at the school for the local Saint Bernadette
parish.

The residents, backed by other religious groups, shifted their
demands to the closure of the school, that has been in existence
for 12 years, which they said had violated the use permit of the
building as it was used as a place of worship.

The administration demolished the wall on Oct. 25, but locals
continued to prevent cars from passing through the neighborhood
to reach the school, forcing 2,417 students -- including 137
autistic and mentally disabled children -- to stay at home.

The parents' forum urged Mayor Wahidin Halim to take immediate
measures to ensure that their children can study in peace.

The closure made headlines last year, attracting attention
from many parties, including religious leaders, the National
Commission on Human Rights as well as the National Commission for
Child Protection.

Former president Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid even visited the
school and held an audience with the residents, but tension
remains in the neighborhood.

Wahidin decided in November last year to assist the school's
management to acquire land for road access, realizing that it
would be difficult to persuade locals to sell part of their land
for the purpose "because the case, which was related to the use
of neighborhood streets has been linked with religious issues ...
the residents have been provoked, and the problem has become more
difficult to solve".