Banyumas, Central Java – Around 1,500 village representatives from 310 villages in Banyumas regency left for Jakarta on Tuesday to join a rally to demand employment status promotions.

In Jakarta they merged with fellow village representatives from across the country demanding to be recognized as civil servants. The group called themselves members of Indonesia Village Apparatus Association.

Group leader Sudarko said the 2004 Law on regional autonomy carried contradictory content on village apparatus. According to Sudarko, an article stipulates village administrators are village heads while another article says the village apparatus also includes the village secretary.

"Another article says a village secretary is occupied by either a civil servant or an appointee. That causes jealousy within the village apparatus," he said.

The protesters demanded the revised bill currently being drafted by the Home Ministry be immediately submitted to the House of Representatives for enforcement.