Javanese Protest Tax Hikes, Shortened School Week 

About 100,000 residents took to the streets Wednesday in Pati, a district in Indonesia’s Central Java Province, asking that the local leader resign over his controversial property tax hike and other controversial policies, Channel News Asia reported. 

Protesters outside the Regional Administration Office in Pati carried signs reading, “Step down, Sudewo, or people will remove you by force,” referring to the executive or regent of the district, Sudewo, who goes by a single name.  

While the protest was mostly peaceful, clashes broke out after demonstrators threw objects at police, which responded with tear gas and water cannons. At least 40 people were injured, including seven police officers and one journalist. 

The protests were triggered by Sudewo’s plan, announced in June, to impose a 250 percent increase in property taxes in some areas of the district, which sparked outrage given the country’s economic slowdown.   

While Sudewo scrapped the hike on Aug. 8 and publicly apologized under pressure from national leaders, residents went ahead with the protest, angered by his other actions that include his decision to cut the school week from six days to five, the sudden dismissal of hundreds of hospital employees without severance pay, and a plan to renovate a mosque that was recently refurbished.  

During the protests, Sudewo arrived in an armored vehicle to address the crowd and apologize, according to Tribun Jateng, a local media outlet, but had to flee when the crowd responded by throwing plastic water bottles, sandals, and rotten tomatoes. 

Later on Wednesday, protesters stormed the Pati Legislative Council building, prompting an emergency session where local councilors launched an inquiry into Sudewo’s policies as a possible basis for impeachment, according to the Jakarta Globe.  

While saying that he “respected” the council’s decision, Sudewo refused to step down, emphasizing that protests, no matter how large, cannot remove a regent without using proper legal channels.  

Meanwhile, Sudewo might also face corruption charges over his alleged role in a major railway project scandal, the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) said Wednesday. He is suspected of profiting from illegal funds tied to railway maintenance and construction projects.