10 regions submit proposals demanding provincial status<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Following the birth of three provinces last
\nyear, the government is now being overwhelmed by proposals
\nsubmitted by 10 regions demanding provincial status.<\/p>\n
Minister of Home Affairs and Regional Autonomy Surjadi
\nSoedirdja told a hearing with the House of Representatives
\nCommission II for Legal and Home Affairs here on Tuesday the
\ngovernment would only be able to deliberate with the House the
\nproposal to establish Riau Islands province in the current fiscal
\nyear due to limited budget.<\/p>\n
\"For the 2001 fiscal year, the forming of Riau Islands as a
\nnew province tops our list of priorities. We will take other
\nproposals into consideration only if there are concerns other
\nthan the demand for provincial status,\" Surjadi told the hearing.<\/p>\n
He said the government received last year a total of 13
\nproposals, three of them were approved by the House with the
\ninception of Banten, Bangka-Belitung and Gorontalo Tomini Raya
\nprovinces.<\/p>\n
The proposals in the pipeline came from Riau islands in Riau
\nprovince, West Sulawesi in South Sulawesi, North Kalimantan in
\nEast Kalimantan, Southeast Maluku in Maluku, Bima in West Nusa
\nTenggara, Tapanuli in North Sumatra, Flores in East Nusa
\nTenggara, Madura in East Java, Ketapang in West kalimantan and
\nLuwu Raya in South Sulawesi.<\/p>\n
\"Altogether there were proposals to establish 13 provinces, 44
\nregencies, 24 administrative cities, 10 non-independent regencies
\nand five mayoralties in the year 2000. We managed only to process
\nthree of 13 proposals for provinces,\" Surjadi said.<\/p>\n
He said to appraise a region applying for a provincial status,
\nthe central government would take into account its capabilities,
\nincluding natural and human resources, as stipulated in the
\nGovernment Regulation No. 129\/1999 on the establishment of a new
\nadministrative territory.<\/p>\n
\"The establishment of a new province brings about several
\nconsequences, especially in its budget distribution,\" Surjadi
\nadded.<\/p>\n
Over the last two years, Indonesia has seen the number of its
\nprovinces swelling from 27 to 31.<\/p>\n
In 1999 the country lost East Timor, which opted to break away
\nin a United Nations-sponsored ballot, but established North
\nMaluku as a new province.<\/p>\n
Bangka-Belitung was officially named the 31st province of the
\ncountry, with Gorontalo Tomini Raya, the bill of which had been
\ndeliberated last year, the next in line.<\/p>\n
The country should have had two more provinces in the eastern-
\nmost parts of Irian Jaya, established by former president B.J.
\nHabibie's administration late in 1999, but they were not popular
\nand, consequently, rejected by locals.<\/p>\n
The government has supported the forming of new provinces in a
\nbid to improve people's welfare and public services.<\/p>\n
Many have warned that the policy could encourage the already
\ngrowing provincial sentiments in the regions and eventually lead
\ntoward disintegration.<\/p>\n
There have also been question on who will actually benefit
\nfrom the establishment of new provinces, with critics arguing
\nthat the step is a maneuver by local officials wanting to enrich
\nthemselves by gaining control over an area's resources.<\/p>\n
A House Commission II member Ferry Mursyidan Baldan from
\nGolkar Party said on Tuesday the House expected the government to
\nhave finished studying the 10 proposals within this year.<\/p>\n
\"We hope by the end of the fiscal year we can give an answer
\nto the people which proposals are accepted and which are not. We
\nall know not every area is able to become a new province,\" Ferry
\ntold The Jakarta Post after the hearing.<\/p>\n
\"The areas should fulfill certain criteria and submit several
\nrequirements for consideration but we hope the appraisal can be
\nfinished this year,\" he remarked. (dja)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/10-regions-submit-proposals-demanding-provincial-status-1447893297",
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