Ruslan Sangadji, Palu – Poso Regent Piet Ingkiriwang might be experiencing sleepless nights after residents and civil servants in the Central Sulawesi town continued protesting against him Wednesday following a report that his university degree was issued by a questionable institution.

In their protest, some of the civil servants in the regental administration even went on strike in a display of nonconfidence for the regent.

According to a report by the Coalition of People for Peace in Poso to the Central Sulawesi Police, it questioned Piet's undergraduate and master degrees.

In the written report, provided for journalists by the police, his master's degree was given by the Jakarta Institute of Management Studies, which is among 30 educational institutions that is not accredited with the National Education Ministry.

When contacted by The Jakarta Post on Tuesday, Piet said he would let the police deal with the matter. "It is not a fake diploma. We'll see. Since the case has been reported to the police, let the police decide," he said.

With the report, he became one of 29 troubled officials in the province who were suspected of using fake diplomas or degrees, including those coming from the illegal institutions. Two others were Tolitoli Regent M. Ma'ruf Bantilan and Tolitoli regental council member Makmur Hakka.

Central Sulawesi Police spokesman Adj. Sr. Comr. Rais Adam said Wednesday the police would be careful in dealing with such cases.

Responding to the protest, coordinator of non-governmental organization the Poso Center, Yusuf Lakaseng, expressed concern over the impact of the protests on the administration.

"We're very worried that the heated political situation in Poso might lead to the administration's collapse and might cause provocative acts that lead to open conflict within the community," Yusuf said as quoted by Antara.

He said the ongoing protest by thousands of residents and civil servants in open criticism of Piet's leadership showed that the administration was out of touch with the needs of residents in the conflict-torn area. "In his leadership, he should not use only an authoritarian approach," Yusuf said.

He encouraged the administration to allow people's participation. "We hope Regent Piet Ingkiriwang is willing to change his leadership style since it doesn't meet the psychological needs of residents after the conflict," Yusuf said.

However, he also called on residents and civil servants to be objective, and to criticize the administration's performance rather than individuals. "The criticism should not be based solely on subjective matters for certain political interests, especially not because of a difference in religion," he said.