Residents want aspiration heard

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)