Residents want aspiration heard

TANGERANG (JP): About 200 residents went to the office of Tangerang Regent Agus Djunara on Thursday to express concern over the rejection of their proposal to appoint a local to assume the vacant vice regent post by West Java Governor Nuriana.

Agus said after a three-hour meeting with nine of their representatives that he would remind the governor about the rejection.

"The regency will try to approach the governor to convey the local people's aspiration," said Wahidin Halim, an administrative official who accompanied the regent to the meeting.

The visit by the residents to the regency office was held after Nuriana rejected a proposal by the Tangerang Regency Legislative Council for the appointment of Ismet Iskandar as the vice regent without any clear reasons.

Achmad Motodo, a spokesman of the residents, said that he was waiting for the result of the regent's effort to persuade the governor.

"If the governor still persists, we will establish our own people's council and install Ismet as the vice regent," he said.

But before that, they will report their complaint to the Ministry of Home Affairs and stage a protest at the West Java provincial administration center at Gedung State building in Bandung, he said.

Achmad reiterated that the governor's rejection to the proposal to appoint Ismet was baseless.

"If the reason is because Ismet has not previously held a position as a regional administration secretary, it is beside the point because he meets all the requirements," he said.

"If we stick to this ruling, how can the West Java administration assistant post be held by an official who hasn't ever been assigned as one," he said. (41/hhr)