Nurni Sulaiman, Jakarta – The Dayak people have demanded the central government give equal opportunity to indigenous and non-indigenous candidates in the appointment of officials to temporarily lead East Kalimantan province.
Yulianus Henock, head of the United Dayak Solidarity Organization, said Monday the demand was made because the government had in the past ignored such requests by the indigenous people.
Decisions about the administration of the province are usually made by the central government without any consultation with local people, Henock said by phone from Samarinda.
He said the Dayak often felt as if they were sidelined by the central government.
Henock made the remarks Monday in response to the government's plan to appoint a non-indigenous person to replace Yurnalis Ngayoh as acting governor of East Kalimantan.
The acting governor will work for three months until the appointment of a new governor through the gubernatorial election, which enters the second round on Sept. 5.
Ngayoh's term as acting governor of East Kalimantan expired on June 25. Ngayoh was temporarily replaced by provincial administration secretary Syaiful Teteng, who will assume the post for several days.
"If there are still many other local people who could potentially lead the province, why should the central government appoint an outsider?" Henock said. "Such an act belittles local people."
"That's why we will stage a rally at the legislative council and the governor's office in Samarinda on Tuesday," Henock said, adding local people also planned to send a group of representatives to file a protest with Home Minister Mardiyanto in Jakarta on the same day.
A group of indigenous Banjar people and representatives of youth organizations will also take part in the rally.
Henock said there was no need for officials from the central government to meddle in provincial business.
"Even though it is only an acting post, the official should learn about the local culture and tradition," he said.
Appointing an acting official from the central government will only require more funding and time to adjust to existing conditions, he said.
"The problems in East Kalimantan are very complicated. We have our own representatives capable of handling the situation, like Ngayoh and Teteng themselves. We don't care who it is, but the most important thing is he or she should be an indigenous person," Henock said.