Future regents from ABRI must be brigadier general<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Military officers who assume the position of
\nregional administration leaders should at least be a brigadier
\ngeneral, Minister of Administrative Reforms T.B. Silalahi said
\nyesterday.<\/p>\n
Briefing the press after meeting President Soeharto, Silalahi
\nreiterated the government's campaign for more regional autonomy
\nin order to cut red tape dependency on the central government.<\/p>\n
Silalahi said the plan to give more autonomy to regional
\nadministrations will start next year. President Soeharto is
\nexpected to launch the drive on April 1, 1995.<\/p>\n
The campaign includes a plan to improve the quality of leaders
\nat regional level administration, Silalahi said. Currently,
\nregents or city mayors are normally appointed from civil servants
\nat the third top echelons, or from chiefs of local military
\ndistricts.<\/p>\n
\"In the future...military officers to be appointed regents
\nshould at least be colonels, who will later be promoted to a
\nbrigadier general when he assumes the post,\" Silalahi said. \"That
\nmeans the military ranks of governors or vice governors should be
\nhigher.\"<\/p>\n
The minister argued that the greater the responsibilities
\nregions have in development, the more burdens that regents have
\nto bear.<\/p>\n
\"Regency or municipality is like a miniature of Indonesia,\" he
\nsaid. \"Civil or military, we need more qualified regents.\"<\/p>\n
If the regents come from the Armed Forces (ABRI), \"the higher
\ntheir rank is, the more experienced they are,\" he said. \"Paris
\nonce had a mayor who was a former prime minister.\"<\/p>\n
While some regions on the Island of Java have started
\nimplementing the policy, the government hopes that at least 50
\npercent of all second level administrations in the country's 27
\nprovinces implement it by the end of 1999.<\/p>\n
\"Hopefully, we can then see how our development efforts
\nproceed with larger autonomy,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Lax<\/p>\n
The government's drive to establish more independent regional
\nadministrations began 20 years ago, but the implementation has
\nbeen lax. As a consequence, numerous development projects in
\nregional administrations had to suffer because the regional
\nleaders failed to take initiatives.<\/p>\n
\"The implementation of development projects in districts is
\nnot smooth, because of too much involvement by the central
\ngovernment,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The plan means that all leaders in a regional administration,
\nfrom the governors down to district chiefs and village heads have
\nthe authority to make decisions they see as appropriate when
\ncarrying out government policies.<\/p>\n
\"The head of the district knows what is best for the area
\nunder his administration. The central government will assist by
\nproviding the guidelines,\" he added.<\/p>\n
Silalahi said district heads or regents would issue some of
\nthe licenses currently granted by the central government for such
\nthings as small-scale trading, mining, hotels and other
\nenterprises.<\/p>\n
But he said security, defense, court, religious and financial
\nmatters would remain the purview of the central government.<\/p>\n
In spite of the increasingly intensive campaign for more
\nregional autonomy in the last several years, many government
\nleaders are still reluctant to take initiatives for fear of
\nmaking the wrong decisions.<\/p>\n
Director General for Regional Administration and Autonomy
\nSumitro Maskun said earlier this month that such an attitude
\noften results in government policies being implemented in a rigid
\nfashion.(swe)<\/p>",
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