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W. Java Governor retires after 10 years, wants to take up farming
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Ahmad Heryawan (left) symbolically hands over his gubernatorial seat to acting governor Iwa Karniwa, who is also the regional secretary, on June 13. (JP/Arya Dipa)
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rosperous Justice Party politician, Ahmad Heryawan retired as West Java Governor on Wednesday after serving for 10 years from 2008-2018.
“I want to teach, and farm,” joked Heryawan at his farewell ceremony in the provincial administration building Gedung Sate in Bandung, West Java.
Heryawan also thanked the West Java councilors and the regency and muncipal administrations for supporting his development programs throughout his two terms. Over that time he built, among other things, hundreds of classrooms, Jatigede Reservoir and West Java International Airport and received an unqualified opinion for seven years in a row from the Supreme Audit Agency.
However, during Heryawan’s tenure, West Java also became one of the most religiously intolerant provinces in Indonesia according to the Setara Institute and the Wahid Institute, with multiple rights violations cases against Christians and Ahmadis.
In 2010 Ahmad said, as quoted by kompas.com, that Ahmadis were deviant according to the Indonesian Ulemas Council's (MUI) edict and that they should leave Ahmadiyah and "join other Muslims".
His deputy, Deddy Mizwar, had left his position earlier to campaign for the gubernatorial position in the upcoming election so the regional secretary, Iwa Karniwa, became the acting governor. (nor)
