Multa Fidrus, The Jakarta Post, Tangerang
Wednesday July 1 2008 City
Dozens of journalists grouped under the Tangerang Journalists Working Group (Pokja Wartawan) staged a rally at the Tangerang regental administration office in Tigaraksa on Tuesday to prostest regent’s threat to beat a journalsits.
“We demand regent Ismet Iskandar to apologize for his bad conduct and correct all bad words he delivered when he threatened to beat a journalist,” Eka Chandra, Pokja Wartawan chairman said.
Chandra said should the regent fail to fulfil the journalists demand, Pokja would file complaints with the police.
Awaludin, the administraiton spokesman who meet with the protesting journalists promised that he would deliver the domands to Ismet Iskandar.
“I will immediately deliver your demands to Pak Ismet and I also apoligize for what happened between the regent and journalists yesterday,” he said.
Meanwhile, the regental council speaker Endang Sudjana said that the regent’s conduct and his words could not be justified at all.
“There is no reason to justfiy what the regent had done to journalists in front of many people, no matter in what situation he is,” he said.
Ismet Iskandar lost his temper and came close to punching Tangerang-based journalist of Seputar Indoneisa daily Denny Irawan when the latter asked about a payment of Rp 9.2 billion (US$978,723) from tap water operator PDAM Tirta Kerta Raharja on Monday.
Ismet replied there had been no new transfer of money from PDAM to his account but Denny asked again "Are you sure you did not order a new transfer from PDAM (Tirta Kerta Raharja) to your account?
Ismet became heated, saying, "Nothing, nothing, that's not true. What do you want, you want me to hit you?" he said, while extending his fist toward the journalist.
Luckily, the regent was immediately restrained and separated from the journalist by members of his staff, who escorted him to his car before he managed to hit Denny, who appeared shaken by the incident.
Denny asked the questions to confirm information gained from a local NGO, Poros Tangerang Solid (Portas).
According the NGO, it had reported the alleged misuse of the PDAM budget by the regent directly to the Attorney General's Office because similar reports filed with the Tangerang Prosecutor's Office had received no response.
The incident was witnessed by a number of regency administration officials including Deden Sugandhi, head of the regency's Public Transportation Agency, Yayat, head of the regency's Coordinating Body for Capital Investment, and several members of the Women's Welfare Movement.
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