Jakarta – Thousands of village heads from around the country staged a street rally in Jakarta on Monday to push for better pay.
The demonstrators from Java, Lampung and East Nusa Tenggara also urged the central government to revise regulations banning village chiefs from joining political parties and limiting their terms to only two periods of six years. Earlier, village heads were allowed to serve in office for life.
Wearing their official green uniforms, the protesters gathered outside the Home Affairs Ministry and the adjacent Supreme Court building in Central Jakarta, blocking the street in a noisy but peaceful demonstration.
Speaking during a meeting with several provincial governors Home Affairs Minister M. Ma'ruf ordered all regional administrations Monday to enforce the 2005 government circular, which gave the chiefs monthly salaries of at least the amount of the minimum regional wage.
Last month, Ma'ruf issued a circular ordering all regencies and mayoralties to allocate 20 percent of their regional incomes to village units.
The minister also met the House of Representatives Commission II on domestic affairs to seek approval for the chiefs' demands that their elections be government funded.
Village heads grouped in the Parade Nusantara association had earlier staged similar protests about the issues in Jakarta in February and March.
Protest coordinator Sudir Santoso said Monday Ma'ruf must issue a ministerial decree on the pay issue because his circular had been defied by many regional heads.
"A lot of village leaders receive only Rp 100,000 a month while minimum regional wages are generally more than Rp 600,000," he said.
Ma'ruf said the chiefs' demands to be allowed to take part in political parties and have their terms extended from six years to 10 was a matter for the House.
During Monday's protest, Parade Nusantara filed a plea to the Supreme Court asking it review the 2005 government regulation, which forbids village heads from involvement in political parties and limits their terms.
Sudir said the association hoped the court would prioritize the judicial review. Ma'ruf said regional administrations must communicate more with village heads to accommodate their aspirations.