Elan Suherlan, Subang – A councilor in the West Java town of Subang admitted on Monday to ordering the demolition of a paved road in a village where he underperformed in the Feb. 14 election.

Ahmad Rizal also confirmed earlier reports that he ignited firecrackers in the village but denied the action was intended to terrorize residents.

Speaking to Jakarta Globe's sister publication Beritasatu, the politician claimed the paved road he destroyed was funded with his own money.

"I informed them that if my result there was poor, I would demolish the road, and they agreed. It turned out I only got 40 votes in the village, so I executed the prior agreement," Rizal said.

However, he gave contradictory reasoning for the firecracker incident, stating that he was initially confident of reelection and ignited them in Tambakjati village as part of celebrations.

Rizal claimed that several village officials also joined the celebration.

"The reports aren't entirely accurate. I asked residents in person if they were terrorized by the firecrackers, and they said no. Some even asked me to hand them the firecrackers so they could set them off by themselves," he added.

Earlier reports mentioned that at least nine people, including children and the elderly, required treatment for symptoms such as dizziness, temporary hearing loss, and heart arrhythmia following the firecracker attacks.

Dayeh, a 60-year-old grandmother with pre-existing heart problems, died on Saturday after being hospitalized. Although her relatives attribute her death to the firecracker assault, local police have not confirmed this link.

Rizal, a politician of the National Democratic Party (Nasdem), also denied that his actions caused the death of a villager.

Despite his claims, villagers continued to condemn the firecracker incident.

"I don't understand the purpose of setting off those firecrackers. I want this to be investigated under the law because the action caused unrest among us and shocked many people," said a villager named Casli.

Source: https://jakartaglobe.id/news/subang-councilor-remains-unapologetic-after-demolishing-roa