Bangka-Belitung officially declared 31st province<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Home Affairs and Regional Autonomy
\nSurjadi Soedirdja officially inaugurated Bangka-Belitung as the
\ncountry's 31st province on Friday, and installed Amur Muchasim
\nas the province's acting governor.<\/p>\n
In a traditional and modest ceremony in the new province's
\ncapital Pangkal Pinang, Surjadi officially assigned Amur to
\nestablish an organization and structure for the province within
\nthe next six months.<\/p>\n
\"Six months is the maximum period to establish the whole
\nstructure of the province. I hope it can be finished by that
\ntime,\" Surjadi said after the ceremony as quoted by Antara.<\/p>\n
\"I am sure with proper preparation, residents of the province
\ncan elect a governor as soon as possible,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The new province was previously a part of the South Sumatra
\nprovince, and is known for its tin and pepper production. The
\nHouse of Representatives passed a bill establishing the province
\non Nov. 21, 2000, after months of intensive lobbying.<\/p>\n
The bill was passed less than two months after Banten was
\nestablished as the country's 30th province.<\/p>\n
The new province consists of two islands -- Bangka and
\nBelitung -- and has about 800,000 residents. Almost 30 percent of
\nthe people in the province are ethnic Chinese, while the rest are
\nMalays and Javanese.<\/p>\n
The acting governor's main tasks will be to head the temporary
\nprovincial administration and facilitate the development of a
\nprovincial legislative council, which will be expected to elect a
\npermanent governor.<\/p>\n
Amur, along with the provincial legislative council, will be
\ncalled on to draw up the new province's draft budget for the 2001
\nfiscal year, which is hoped will allow for the development of the
\nnew province to be completed next year.<\/p>\n
Antara also reported that South Sumatra Governor Rosihan
\nArsjad handed over some Rp 65 billion (US$6.8 million) of the
\nprovince's budget and Rp 29 billion of its tax revenue to the
\nBangka-Belitung acting governor.<\/p>\n
He said that with the establishment of the new province, South
\nSumatra lost one-sixth of its assets. (dja)<\/p>",
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