Violence looms large in Banjarmasin

Violence looms large in Banjarmasin

Yuliansyah, The Jakarta Post, Banjarmasin

A real possibility of violence looms large in South Kalimantan's
provincial capital of Bandjarmasin as students and non-
governmental organizations (NGOs) vow to step up their pressure
against Governor Sjachriel Darham.

Hundreds of protesters stormed the governor's office here on
Monday, demanding that the governor, who was voted out of office
by local councillors on Aug. 21, abandon his office without
waiting for the decision of the home affairs ministry.

Earlier, Minister for Home Affairs Hari Sabarno rebuffed
Sjachriel's ouster and insisted that the central government still
recognized him as the governor of South Kalimantan.

Minister Hari had also set up an independent team to
investigate the case.

On Sunday, the students and NGOs protested at the council
building to urge the general public to help expel Sjachriel from
his office.

Protesters said Monday that Sjachriel had lost his moral right
to be in charge of the province, because he was accused of
corruption.

"Sjachriel must immediately leave the office. We don't want to
be led by a fired governor who has no shame, and who always hurt
the people in South Kalimantan," a demonstrator said.

The protesters threatened to overrun Sjachriel's office and
his official residence in the next few days if he refused to
leave.

South Kalimantan councillors unseated Sjachriel from his post
on Aug. 21, 2002 following a series of mass protests against the
governor. Protesters, who occupied the council's building,
accused the governor of corruption.

Sjachriel, claiming that his dismissal was unconstitutional,
has vowed to hold on to his office until President Megawati
Soekarnoputri approved the council's move.

However, the protesters insisted on demanding that the
governor relinquish his post as soon as possible.

"We want Sjachriel to resign without waiting for a decision by
the home affairs minister. How could officials of the central
government understand the problem faced by the people in South
Kalimantan?" a demonstrator demanded.

"It is purely the people's aspirations, and we refuse to be
led by (Sjachriel) any longer," he added.

Before dispersing peacefully amid tight security, the
demonstrators vowed to mobilize a huge number of people on
Tuesday to occupy the governor's office and kick Sjachriel out of
office, should he insist on staying in control of the province.

During the raucous protest, none of the senior local
officials, particularly Sjachriel, were willing to receive the
demonstrators for a dialog.

Sjachriel's official sedan left the governor's office before
the protesters arrived, but it was not clear if the governor was
actually in the car or still in the office.

Meanwhile in Jakarta, regional autonomy law expert Ryaas
Rasyid backed the home minister's move to reject Sjachriel's
dismissal which he said was legally flawed.

"The home minister's decision is right because the legislative
council should have established a special committee to
investigate an issue, the result of which could be used to
justify the governor's dismissal," he said on Saturday.

Ryaas said the South Kalimantan council's move to unseat the
governor without following legal procedures would set a "bad
precedent" that could recur in other provinces.