Govt to monitor Papua, Aceh budgets<\/p>\n
Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The central government is making another attempt to reduce the
\nauthority of autonomous Aceh and Papua by setting up an
\nassistance team to supervise the use of the regional budget in
\nthose two provinces.<\/p>\n
Citing the large amount of money that the two resource-rich
\nprovinces will get under the arrangements outlined in the special
\nautonomy package, Minister of Home Affairs Hari Sabarno said on
\nThursday that the funds would be prone to abuse by both Acehnese
\nand Papuan officials.<\/p>\n
\"Since we allocated a huge amount of money to them, we have
\nthe right to supervise its use,\" Hari said after a limited
\nCabinet meeting on Thursday.<\/p>\n
Under the arrangements made in the special autonomy, the two
\nprovinces were given the authority to draw up plans on how to
\nspend their respective budgets while taking into account the
\nneeds of locals.<\/p>\n
\"The two provinces have submitted their budgets with programs
\nto the central government and we want to see whether or not those
\nprograms will improve the welfare of locals,\" Hari said.<\/p>\n
During the 2002 fiscal year, Aceh received Rp 2.2 trillion
\nfrom the general allocation fund, and another Rp 1.87 trillion
\nfrom the profit sharing of oil and gas revenue.<\/p>\n
For the 2003 fiscal year, the province will get a total of Rp
\n2.3 trillion from the general allocation fund, while the profit
\nsharing will revolve around last year's figure.<\/p>\n
Papua, on the other hand, received a total of Rp 1.3 trillion
\nfrom the general allocation fund in 2002. That amount went up to
\nRp 1.5 trillion in 2003.<\/p>\n
In addition, the province got Rp 663 billion from profit
\nsharing of the oil and gas revenue in 2002 and about the same
\namount in 2003.<\/p>\n
\"The two provinces have a lot of money because of special
\nautonomy. We would like to see that money improve people's
\nwelfare,\" Hari said.<\/p>\n
The assistance team, Hari said, would consist of
\ninterdepartmental officials so that regional offices could not
\nrefuse the supervision.<\/p>\n
He denied allegations that Jakarta was trying to intervene in
\nthe provinces' internal affairs, saying that the central
\ngovernment was just making sure that education, health and other
\npublic service sectors received a sufficient amount of the
\nregional budget.<\/p>\n
President Megawati Soekarnoputri is known for her resentment
\nof the implementation of regional autonomy in the country, which
\nwas officially imposed by former president Abdurrahman Wahid in
\n2000.<\/p>\n
Megawati, who took over the national leadership in July 2001
\nafter members of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR)
\nimpeached then president Abdurrahman Wahid for incompetence, had
\ntried to amend the Regional Autonomy law.<\/p>\n
She has blasted regional officials for what she said was their
\nfailure to improve people's welfare, one of the original purposes
\nof the implementation of regional autonomy.<\/p>\n
On Monday, Megawati reminded regional governments of the need
\nto improve public services, citing that the main purpose of the
\nimplementation of regional autonomy was to ensure people's
\nwelfare.<\/p>\n
\"Regions must remember that stronger authority means a heavier
\nobligation, not just more rights,\" Megawati said while opening a
\nseminar for the revitalization of Sangihe and Talaud regencies.<\/p>\n
The Special Autonomy laws were issued for Papua and Aceh to
\nappease the Papuans and Acehnese, who had long been disappointed
\nwith government policies in their provinces.<\/p>\n
According to the law, the central government has the right to
\nrun several issues, such as defense, currency, foreign affairs
\nand other fiscal policies.<\/p>\n
\"Jakarta is aware of the presence of local councils and the
\nBPKP, but sometimes it takes more than the two agencies to ensure
\nthe effectiveness of allocating the budget for locals,\" Hari
\nsaid.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/govt-to-monitor-papua-aceh-budgets-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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