House to pass bill on regional autonomy<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The House of Representatives is expected on
\nWednesday to pass a bill which will provide more autonomy to
\nregional administrations and legislatures from the central
\ngovernment.<\/p>\n
The new law will only take effect two years after the
\npresidential endorsement, a period which the government and the
\nHouse can use to review existing laws in line with the new law
\nand draw up operational regulations.<\/p>\n
However, the debate remained tough on Tuesday on a closely
\nrelated bill on fiscal balance between the central and regional
\ngovernments, a legislator said.<\/p>\n
\"No common ground has been reached yet on the percentage of
\nstate income allocated for provinces,\" Robbani Thoha of the
\nUnited Development Party (PPP) told The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
The Armed Forces' faction's Budi Harsono, who is the deputy
\nchairman of the House special committee deliberating the regional
\nautonomy bill, said the regional autonomy bill accommodated many
\npublic aspirations.<\/p>\n
\"It will later depend on human resources of each province to
\nmake full use of the bill,\" he told the Post during a break in
\nthe committee's final session which was held behind a closed
\ndoor.<\/p>\n
According to Budi, the bill, containing 15 chapters and 134
\narticles, wields notable consequences for the present state
\nadministration, for years marked by the central government's
\ndomination of both decision making and financing powers.<\/p>\n
Budi said the bill applied the principle of power
\ndecentralization by giving wide-ranging autonomy to regencies. It
\nalso introduces the principle of power deconcentration at the
\nprovincial level, in which governors and deputy governors have
\nserved as mere representatives of the central government.<\/p>\n
Unlike present practices, the bill stipulates that candidates
\nfor both governors and deputy governors will be selected by the
\nprovincial legislature after consultation with the president.<\/p>\n
On the election of a regent, the bill states a regency
\nlegislature has the authority to choose candidates and appoint
\none. The present law allows the central government's
\nintervention, if not the final say, in the election process.<\/p>\n
\"Each faction will have to nominate its regent and his or her
\ndeputy candidates altogether. The same method also applies in the
\ngubernatorial candidacy,\" Budi said.<\/p>\n
Both a regent and a governor are \"political jobs\", meaning
\nthey are not part of the civil servants corps, Budi said.<\/p>\n
The principle of decentralization regulates that a regent is
\nnot a subordinate to a governor. A regent also will supervise
\ndistrict heads.<\/p>\n
District heads are civil servants, according to the bill, but
\nBudi said that unlike the present arrangement, village heads
\nwould not be the subordinates of a district head. Instead, they
\nwould give their accountability to the regent.<\/p>\n
\"Villages will be left alone to retain their own community
\ncharacteristics of administration, in which villagers will have
\ntheir own way of electing their heads,\" Budi said.<\/p>\n
The village is the lowest government administrative level
\nunder the bill.<\/p>\n
As for the bill on fiscal balance -- dubbed the \"soul\" of
\nregional autonomy -- Robbani said the bill recommended that the
\ncentral government return a number of income resources
\ncontributed by provinces to the state budget.<\/p>\n
He said the bill was slated for endorsement on Friday. (aan)<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/house-to-pass-bill-on-regional-autonomy-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }