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Mob sets alight council building over Gowa kingdom row
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Charred – Firefighters extinguish the remaining flames in the gutted plenary meeting hall at the Gowa Legislative Council in South Sulawesi on Monday. (JP/Andi Hajramurni)
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mob set light to the Gowa Legislative Council building on Monday, following an unresolved conflict over the Gowa administration’s plan to restructure Gowa customs and traditions.
A plenary meeting hall and an office of a councillor on the second floor were gutted in the incident. Windows and doors on the first and second floors of the building were destroyed.
The incident began when hundreds of people comprising Gowa royal family members and members of the public concerned with Gowa customs and traditions held a rally in front of the building at 1 p.m. local time.
They demanded the Gowa Legislative Council revoke Bylaw (Perda) No.5/2016, which mandates the establishment of a Gowa customs and traditions institute (LAD).
The protesters later entered the plenary meeting hall, but no councillors wanted to meet them, triggering their anger. Protesters set fire to the plenary meeting hall, after which flames rapidly spread to the second floor.
“We came here to demand the fulfillment of Gowa Legislative Council members, who promised to grant our request last week. When we arrived, however, none of them showed up to meet us,” said Muhammad Ridwan, a member of the Gowa kingdom’s customs and traditions council.
Under the bylaw, Gowa Regent Adnan Purichta Ichsan Yasin Limpo was inaugurated as the LAD head and plays the role of and undertakes the functions of the sombaya (king) of Gowa. (ebf)
