Government to issue regulation on autonomy soon<\/p>\n
By Ridwan M. Sijabat<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The government is set to issue this week a much
\nawaited regulation which will delineate authority in regional
\nautonomy in 2001.<\/p>\n
But as the draft regulation and senior officials at the Office
\nof the State Ministry of Regional Autonomy indicate, the regional
\nautonomy plan is not designed as a power-sharing scheme but is
\naimed more at promoting democracy and the equitable distribution
\nof wealth.<\/p>\n
Andi A. Mallarangeng, an assistant to the state minister of
\nregional autonomy, told The Jakarta Post here that the final
\ndraft of the regulation had been completed and was set to be
\nsigned by President Abdurrahman Wahid this week.<\/p>\n
He said the regulation describes in detail fields of authority
\nthat will remain with the central government and provinces as
\nadministrative territories.<\/p>\n
Regencies and mayoralties will run their administrations and
\ndevelop their own potentials autonomously based on the
\ndelineations provided under the authority of the province and
\nbased on the macro national level policies set by the central
\ngovernment.<\/p>\n
The current draft regulation specifies the division of
\nauthority between the central government and provinces in 23
\nfields -- agriculture, maritime, mining and energy, forestry and
\nplantations, industry and trade, cooperatives, investment,
\ntourism, labor, health, education and culture, social affairs,
\nspatial planning, land, residential settlements, public works,
\ncommunications\/transportation, environment, public
\nadministration, development of regional autonomy, fiscal balance,
\ninformation and laws.<\/p>\n
On the macro level, the central government will have authority
\nin setting out policies on foreign affairs, defense and security,
\nmonetary and fiscal affairs, the legal system and religious
\naffairs.<\/p>\n
The regulation also stipulates that the central government can
\nissue regulations on the standards of public services, set
\ncriteria on spatial planning, conditions for accreditation of
\neducational institutions and certification of professional
\nexperts, development policies and the exploitation and protection
\nof natural resources.<\/p>\n
\"The law gives autonomous regions' authority to run certain
\nfields such as public works, health, education and culture,
\nagriculture, transportation, industry and trade, investment and
\nenvironment while the (central) government has authority in
\nmaking basic policies in these fields,\" Mallarangeng said.<\/p>\n
As an example he cited the fiscal balance field, in which the
\ngovernment can make guidelines on the reallocation of portions of
\na rich areas' income to poorer areas in the province.<\/p>\n
\"This is to avoid social jealousy among them,\" he said, adding
\nthat the government would soon also issue technical guidelines on
\nhow regencies and mayoralties should run their autonomous
\nadministrations in those fields.<\/p>\n
Mallarangeng defended the apparent need for central government
\n\"intervention\" through the establishment of basic policies for
\nthe sake of maintaining the unitary state and national unity.<\/p>\n
He argued that the unitary state would come under threat if
\nregions had no common or basic policies to guide them in running
\ntheir administrations.<\/p>\n
\"It would also be very difficult for a dissident regency to
\nbreak away from the unitary state because it would be under the
\nclose supervision of its provincial administration,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Provincial administrations will be charged with handling all
\ncross-regency affairs and fields that regions and mayoralties
\ncannot yet manage.<\/p>\n
Democracy<\/p>\n
Mallarangeng, an expert on public administration, pointed out
\nthat the aim of decentralizing authority to regencies and
\nmayoralties was not to share power but mainly to develop
\ndemocracy, empower the people and to ensure equal distribution of
\nwealth.<\/p>\n
\"We should learn from the nation's past bad experiences where
\nthe people suffered economic hardship, despite the booming
\neconomy ... The robust economic growth in the past was enjoyed
\nonly by a certain small group of corrupt political elite,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
\"Regional autonomy is designed to empower local people,
\nimprove their welfare and create a conducive climate for
\ndemocracy,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Mallarangeng noted that the regional autonomy law and the
\nfiscal balance law would also help strengthen the position of
\ncouncils at the provincial and regency or mayoralty levels.<\/p>\n
\"With the fiscal balance law, regions will have better
\nbargaining power to negotiate with the government because of
\ntheir bigger portion in the share of their own natural
\nresources,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Mallarangeng pointed out that resource-rich provinces such as
\nAceh, Irian Jaya, Riau and East Kalimantan could get between 50
\npercent to 75 percent, instead of the 1 percent they currently
\nget, from the margin of profit of natural resource exploration in
\ntheir respective areas.<\/p>\n
While full implementation of regional autonomy is not expected
\nuntil next year, some aspects of it have already been
\nimplemented, particularly in the election of governors and
\nregents.<\/p>\n
\"The election of governors, regents and mayors has been fully
\nconducted by local councils. The government only officiates the
\nelection process,\" he said.<\/p>\n
However, Mallarangeng regretted the rising issue of money
\npolitics in various gubernatorial and regency elections in
\nnumerous provinces recently, saying such issues only hamper
\ndemocracy.<\/p>\n
\"The most important thing is that the legislative councils
\nlisten to their people's aspirations,\" he said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/government-to-issue-regulation-on-autonomy-soon-1447893297",
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