Mallarangeng brothers anger neighbors at home

Andi Hajramurni ,  The Jakarta Post ,  Makassar   |  Thu, 07/02/2009 10:34 PM  |  Presidential Election

Hundreds of activists from the Coalition of South Sulawesi People Against Racism rallied at a monument and outside the office of the Democratic Party in Makassar on Thursday to vent their anger at the party’s deputy chairman, Andi Alifian Mallarangeng, and his brother Rizal, who said the province had to wait to see its citizens lead the country.

Braving heavy rain, the protesters demanded that Andi and Rizal, both South Sulawesi natives, retract and apologize for their statement, which they said had offended people in the province.

“It’s such a racist statement, as any citizen across the country has the right to lead the country,” said coalition spokesman Subhan Djaya Mappaturung.

The crowd unfurled posters denouncing Andi, who is also the presidential spokesman, and Rizal, who helps the campaign team of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. The coalition expressed support for Yudhoyono’s rival candidate, Vice President Jusuf Kalla, who is a South Sulawesi native.

Earlier in the day, scholars grouped under the South Sulawesi Rector Forum, said the Mallarangeng brothers had disrupted peace in the province and violated human rights.

On the sidelines of a rally in Makassar on Wednesday, Andi had said it was “untimely” South Sulawesi people to take top executive jobs, and suggested they vote for Yudhoyono and his running mate Boediono, who he said were the best pair to lead the country.

Copyright © 2008 The Jakarta Post - PT Bina Media Tenggara. All Rights Reserved.