Agus Maryono, Purwokerto – Hundreds of protesters rallied Thursday in Purwokerto, Central Java, to demand Banyumas Regent Mardjoko resign for what they claimed was his failure to make good on his campaign promises.
"Liar and cheater are the perfect words for the regent," Gumilang, coordinator of the Banyumas People's Struggle Front (FRBM), said at the rally in Purwokerto's public park.
He said the regent had promised in his campaign last year to bring in Rp 1 trillion (US$100 million) if elected.
He added Mardjoko, who was nominated by the National Awakening Party (PKB), had once said he would work with biofuel producer PT Sampoerna Bio Energi to build a bioethanol factory that would employ 25,000 workers.
Gumilang said Mardjoko had made these pledges before the Banyumas Legislative Council in February 2008, when he was asked to state his policies as a candidate for regent.
"The Banyumas people have been deceived; 40 percent of them still live in poverty," Gumilang claimed. "We urged the regent to apologize to the people and resign."
Also at the rally was the Banyumas People Care Forum (FPRB). FPRB chairman Tri Waluyo Basuki accused Mardjoko of not having fulfilled any of the promises he had made while campaigning, a full year after his inauguration. "We seek an evaluation of the regent's performance," he said.
Basuki, a former speaker of the Banyumas Legislative Council and member of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), said the FPRB had conducted a poll to gauge how much the public knew of Mardjoko's programs, including the planned investment in a bioethanol factory.
"Our polling was stopped by district chiefs based on instructions from Mardjoko," he said. "We will, however, continue to poll."
The FPRB had distributed 27,000 questionnaires in 27 districts in the regency, which has a population of 1.7 million. The questionnaires have 10 questions, including whether people agree with the regent's investment program and whether the program has been successfully implemented.
Besides Thursday's rally, the Banyumas Legislative Council has met to officially approve a summons for Mardjoko for questioning. The council plans to grill the regent on his campaign promises.
The first questioning session was planned for last Saturday, but was postponed because there were not enough legislators in attendance.
"We've had to postpone it," said Sardi, a councilman from the PDI-P, which initiated the call for questioning.
"We'll reschedule it, maybe this week or next. We can't let the regent get away with cheating the people. This will be a lesson for Mardjoko and other regents. They should not lie to the public. We'll hold responsible," Sardi added.