Rizal to visit S. Nias despite protests

Rizal to visit S. Nias despite protests

Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Medan, North Sumatara

Defiant North Sumatra governor T. Rizal Nurdin was adamant on
Friday that he would not delay his planned visit to South Nias
regency next week, despite threats of demonstrations from locals.

Rizal said he was not troubled by the threat from South Nias
residents, saying that life and death were in God's power to
determine, not human beings.

"Speaking of death, I could have been killed in the conflict
areas in East Timor or Papua when I was posted there, but I am
still alive today," Rizal, a retired Army major general, told The
Jakarta Post.

According to his itinerary, Rizal and his entourage is to
leave on Monday for South Nias regency, 8 hours west of Medan by
land, to announce his new posting at South Nias administration,
pending a regental election there.

The visit was planned after Rizal was appointed by Minister of
Home Affairs Hari Sabarno in early October to take over the helm
of the South Nias administration, replacing Hengky Yusuf Wau, the
regent caretaker of South Nias.

The visit expects to meet with huge demonstrations in South
Nias regency. The residents, disappointed over Rizal's
appointment, have made plans to block him from entering the South
Nias capital, Teluk Dalam.

The residents want Hengky Yusuf Wau to remain in office and
believe he should not be replaced by Rizal. Hengky won the
locals' support when he opposed the central government's plan to
split South Nias regency into two regencies.

The protests have been ongoing since early October and
continued on Friday. The representatives of local residents
expressed concern over Rizal's planned visit at the North Sumatra
provincial administration in Medan.

"The governor should not proceed with his visit, otherwise the
residents will block him from entering Teluk Dalam," local non-
governmental organization (NGO) Development Care chairman Wisnu
Duha told reporters in Medan after meeting the governor.

Rizal responded that he was disappointed by the residents'
plan to block his passage to Teluk Dalam: "They should support
me. I will try to do my best for them, I will try to spur
development in the regency. But instead, they threaten to prevent
my visit."

The dispute began several months ago, when Hari Sabarno
appointed Hengky as the regent caretaker of South Nias regency,
until the regent and deputy regent were elected.

However, Hari showed increasing displeasure over Hengky's
attitude, in particular over his objections to the minister's
plan to split South Nias regency into two.

Hari replaced Hengky with Rizal in early October, but it
stirred up controversy in the regency among Hengky's supporters,
who opposed his replacement.