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Village chiefs hold protest in front of House building
Thousands of village chiefs held a protest in front of the House of Representatives building, demanding the approval of the revised Village Law before the general elections election.
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Members of the All-Indonesia Village Administration Association (Apdesi) hold a protest in front of the legislative complex in Jakarta on Dec. 5, 2023. They demanded the House of Representatives revise the 2014 Village Law, urging lawmakers to increase the maximum village head term from six to nine years. (Antara/Aditya Pradana Putra)
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housands of village heads from across the country staged a rally in front of the House of Representatives building and closed roads on Wednesday, demanding the revised Village Law be ratified before the upcoming general election.
The village chiefs, some wearing white uniforms with All-Indonesia Village Administration Association (Apdesi) inscriptions and others donning brown uniforms, blocked Jl. Gatot Subroto in Central Jakarta and the Inner-City toll road because the police would not open the House gates.
This caused cars heading toward Slipi to make a U-turn, resulting in long traffic jams.
The protestors demanded that the House hold a plenary session with the government to ratify the revised Village Law.
The amendment includes extending village heads’ terms in office, increasing the Village Funds program, determining the employment status of village officials and village autonomy.
Village chiefs alleged that the House was delaying and ignoring village aspirations.
Although the police had already announced that several representatives were inside meeting legislators, the protestors still demanded to enter the House building.
