Govt submits bills on regional autonomy laws<\/p>\n
Kurniawan Hari, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The government has submitted to the House of Representatives
\n(DPR) two bills on the revision of Law No. 22\/1999 on regional
\nadministration and Law No. 25\/1999 on fiscal balance as part of
\nits efforts to improve the working of regional autonomy.<\/p>\n
House deputy speaker Soetardjo Soerjogoeritno told a plenary
\nmeeting on Monday that the President had also assigned Minister
\nof Home Affairs Hari Sabarno and Minister of Finance Boediono to
\ndiscuss the bills with legislators.<\/p>\n
\"We hope the House special committees in charge of
\ndeliberating the two bills will start working soon,\" said
\nSoetardjo.<\/p>\n
Since their implementation in 2001, the regional autonomy laws
\nhave sparked disputes between the central and local governments.
\nLocal governments oppose the plan to revise the laws, which they
\nsaid will reinstate the old centralistic system of government.<\/p>\n
The government bills will be discussed along with a bill
\ndrafted earlier by the legislators. This bill focuses on the
\ndirect election of governors, mayors and regents.<\/p>\n
The legislators started deliberating their own bill a couple
\nof weeks ago.<\/p>\n
The submission of the government-sponsored bills may prolong
\nthe debate on the revision of the regional administration
\nlegislation. Initially, the legislators had drafted their own
\nbill in the hope that the direct election of governors, mayors,
\nand regents could take effect soon.<\/p>\n
The chairman of the special committee deliberating the draft
\nrevisions of the regional autonomy law, Agustin Teras Narang,
\nsaid on Monday he would discuss with fellow legislators whether
\nthey would deliberate the government-sponsored bills
\nsimultaneously with the House's bill.<\/p>\n
\"The government's bills are more comprehensive. They go into
\nmore detail on regional autonomy. The substance is
\ndecentralization,\" Teras added.<\/p>\n
Separately, Firman Jaya Daeli from the Indonesian Democratic
\nParty of Struggle (PDI-P) disclosed that the government-sponsored
\nbills on regional administration would focus on five areas.<\/p>\n
First, the bills would strengthen the relations between the
\ncentral government and provincial, municipal and regental
\nadministrations.<\/p>\n
Second, they would help further reform of the bureaucracy in
\nan attempt to improve public service.<\/p>\n
Third, the bills would strengthen supervisory mechanisms in
\norder to ensure effective and efficient local administration.<\/p>\n
Fourth, they would encourage the direct election of governors,
\nmayors and regents.<\/p>\n
Fifth, the bills would help reform the financing and budgetary
\nsystem with regard to the sharing out of revenues as between the
\ncentral government and local administrations.<\/p>\n
Firman, a member of the House home affairs commission, said
\nthat revisions were needed because the implementation of local
\nautonomy had created several difficulties.<\/p>\n
Taking an example, he said that a number of regional
\nadministrations were issuing policies that contradicted the
\npolicies of the central government.<\/p>\n
\"Some local administrations apply their own policies and
\nignoring the policies set by the central government. In some
\ncases, ministerial instructions are ignored,\" said Firman.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/govt-submits-bills-on-regional-autonomy-laws-1447893297",
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