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Activists jubilant over mayor arrest
Non-governmental activists in Tegal, Central Java staged a protest on Wednesday to express their happiness over the arrest of Tegal mayor Siti Mashita Soeparno on allegation of corruption.
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Tegal mayor Siti Mashita Soeparno exits the city general election commission headquarters after registering herself for the 2018 mayoral election. (Antara/Oky Lukmansyah)
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div style="margin:0px;line-height:normal;font-family:Arial">Non-governmental activists in Tegal, Central Java staged a protest on Wednesday to express their happiness over the arrest of Tegal mayor Siti Mashita Soeparno on allegation of corruption.
Some of the protesters chanted slogans to express their dislike towards what the considered as Siti's arrogance, while others were setting off fireworks.
"We're relieved now because her policies as mayor have been oppressive," said Yusqon, a spokesman for a group who called themselves the Committee to Save Tegal Municipality.
Yusqon said as quoted by tempo.co that some of Siti's policies that he considered arrogant was when the mayor decided to punish city officials who opposed some of her decisions.
The latest decision from Siti that the group could not tolerate was her move to strip deputy mayor Nur Sholeh of his authority. Siti had a rocky relationship with her deputy throughout her tenure.
Siti Masitha was arrested at her official residence in the City Hall complex on Jl. Gede Sedayu, Tegal, on Tuesday evening. Before the arrest, KPK investigators sealed offices at Kardinah Regional General Hospital (RSUD). It is suspected that the mayor’s arrest is related to the construction of an intensive care unit (ICU) facility at the hospital.
