Residents urge Sentul village head to quit

Residents urge Sentul village head to quit

BOGOR (JP): About 200 Sentul residents in Citeureup district
here visited the regency legislative council on Thursday to
campaign for the dismissal of their village head for being too
authoritarian.

The residents, consisting of religious leaders, youths and
women, asked the Bogor regent to dismiss the village head,
identified as Endeng Daelimi, who has held his post for the last
nine years.

"The angry residents originally headed for the village head's
house to damage and burn it. But I managed to stop them and asked
them to visit the council to express their complaint," Fahrudin,
one of the religious leaders, said.

Forty residents' representatives were received by members of
the council's Commission A for administrative affairs led by
Farid Subagyo.

M. Toni Syahbana, another Moslem leader, said that he was once
dragged by a group of hoodlums from his house and beaten in front
of the village head's house for defending people who were
involved in a land dispute with Daelimi.

Another resident, Yani, complained that he did not have an
identification card because he had become a staunch supporter of
the United Development Party (PPP), one of three existing
parties, which also include Golkar and the Indonesian Democratic
Party (PDI).

The village officers frequently rejected Yani's application to
renew her identification card, which had now expired.

"As a village head, he shouldn't have been partial to his own
citizens, they can be members of Golkar, PDI or PPP," she said.

The village head was also opposed for not giving priority to
local residents to work at factories built in the village,
resident M. Nurdin said.

According to Fahrudin, on seeing the residents'
dissatisfaction, Daelimi did not change his ways, but instead
approached other religious leaders and residents who wanted to
support him.

"Therefore it caused a split among residents of the village.
We hope the council members can visit our village to have a close
look at the situation," he said.

Muammal Sulaeman, an assistant to the regent, promised
yesterday to investigate and process the matter in line with the
existing law. (24/jun)