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.