Bills on new provinces get support from legislators<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Legislators and an academic welcomed on Thursday
\nthe continued deliberation of 11 bills on the establishment of
\nthree new provinces, 29 regencies and three mayoralties.<\/p>\n
According to the present schedule, legislators are pressed for
\ntime and have only until Sept. 24 when their term ends.<\/p>\n
The House of Representatives met with Minister of Home Affairs
\nSyarwan Hamid to further deliberate the bills introduced by the
\ngovernment on July 27.<\/p>\n
In response to whether it was realistic to expect deliberation
\nto be completed, Syarwan said, \"We'll just try\". New legislators
\nto be sworn in on Oct. 1 may not have to make major changes, he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Robbani Thoha of the United Development Party (PPP) faction, a
\nmember of House Commission II for domestic affairs, said, \"People
\nin provinces like Riau and Maluku have waited for (the bills) for
\na long time.\"<\/p>\n
He said that when a team from the commission visited the areas
\nto be made into new provinces or regions during the recent House
\nrecess period, \"the people's response was like an Independence
\nDay celebration\".<\/p>\n
\"Maluku consists of so many islands where local people take
\nseveral days to travel just to get simple paperwork done,\"
\nRobbani said. A split of Maluku into north and south provinces
\nwould speed up the length of time needed to acquire certain
\nlicenses, he said.<\/p>\n
Last week, unrest in Maluku included Halmahera in the north,
\nwhich was reportedly triggered by disputes over plans to split
\ntwo neighboring districts, but no details were available.<\/p>\n
Dividing Irian Jaya into West, East and Central Irian Jaya
\nwould also raise efficiency, Robbani said.<\/p>\n
However, he acknowledged resistance from the Irianese toward
\nthe plan. Activists in Irian Jaya have said they were not
\nconsulted about the plan and expressed skeptiscm of whether
\nIrianese would benefit from it in terms of employment, for
\ninstance.<\/p>\n
\"However, in general, most people are extremely happy with the
\ncreation of new provinces or regencies,\" Robbani said.<\/p>\n
The bills will also create 29 regencies and three mayoralties
\nin 12 provinces, namely Aceh, Riau, West Sumatra, Jambi, West
\nKalimantan, East Kalimantan, East Nusa Tenggara, and Central
\nSulawesi, Maluku and Irian Jaya.<\/p>\n
Syarwan also said that the establishment of new areas was
\nmeant to provide better access for local people and to enable
\nbetter local resources management.<\/p>\n
In Banda Aceh, Utju Ali Basya, deputy rector for cooperation
\naffairs of Syiah Kuala University, expressed support of the
\ndecision in what he said would speed up development in the
\nprovince. Two new regencies here will be Simeulue, in West Aceh
\nand Bireun, now in North Aceh.<\/p>\n
\"Bireun... is already a developed area,\" Utju said, pointing
\nout its strategic location in the middle of Aceh. Bireun is in
\nNorth Aceh regency and for decades has been the transit point of
\ntravelers from various parts of the province. It is located along
\nthe Banda Aceh-Medan highway.<\/p>\n
Utju said many people in Aceh in the 1960s viewed Bireun was
\nfit to be the capital instead of Banda Aceh. (05)<\/p>",
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