Syaukani lifts regency to new heights<\/p>\n
Pandaya, The Jakarta Post, Tenggarong, East Kalimantan<\/p>\n
When tens of thousands of people gathered in the Rondong Demang
\nstadium in Tenggarong for the opening of an international arts
\nfestival, the biggest thrill was provided by two low-passing
\ngliders towing a banner carrying a government slogan.<\/p>\n
\"Gerbang Dayaku Program Bupatiku\" (Gerbang Dayaku is My
\nRegent's Program) screamed the giant yellow banner.<\/p>\n
The people in the stadium cheered as the gliders passed
\noverhead after Syaukani, the regent of Kutai Kartanegara, which
\nis hosting the festival, delivered a speech in which he
\nunderlined the importance of preserving cultural heritage.<\/p>\n
So, is Syaukani building a personality cult?<\/p>\n
\"I saw it (the gliders) but I have no idea who did it,\" he
\nreplied when The Jakarta Post mentioned the scene during an
\ninterview at his cozy residence next to the majestic Kutai
\nPalace.<\/p>\n
The slogan Gerbang Dayaku is seen throughout Kutai
\nKartanegara, a regency going from rags to riches thanks to
\nregional autonomy, which gives it 30 percent of all the money the
\ncentral government rakes in from the regency's natural resources.
\nBefore autonomy began in 2001, it received none.<\/p>\n
Gerbang Dayaku sums up Syaukani's people-oriented development
\nprograms, which he launched when he assumed office in 1999. It
\naims at lifting Kutai Kartanegara's economic status to the height
\nof Brunei.<\/p>\n
High on his agenda are the development of infrastructure,
\nempowering the people's economy and improving human resources.<\/p>\n
There is no doubt that the residents like what he is doing to
\nlift the regency out of backwardness and poverty. This man is
\nidolized. His fervent admirers lovingly call him \"our king\".<\/p>\n
Kutai Kartanegara, which covers an area of 27,000 square
\nkilometers and has a population of just 426,000, has become a
\nsymbol of success in regional autonomy, which began in 2001 three
\nyears after the end of the Soeharto regime. And the credit for
\nthis success goes to Syaukani.<\/p>\n
Under his populist leadership, each village is entitled to Rp
\n2 billion in development aid. New roads and bridges are being
\ndesigned or are under construction.<\/p>\n
Education has been made free of charge up through high school,
\nat both state and private schools. School textbooks are provided
\nto students at no cost and every teacher gets Rp 500,000 in
\n\"incentive\" allowance a month -- something that teachers
\nelsewhere in the country can only envy.<\/p>\n
Of the regency's 2003\/2004 Rp 2.4 trillion budget, Rp 100
\nbillion was for the education sector.<\/p>\n
\"In fact, we don't set any limits on the education budget. We
\nwill provide as much as needed,\" said Syaukani, who keeps pet
\nmonkeys and snakes.<\/p>\n
What he has been doing to realize his promise of \"glorious
\nKutai Kartanegara\" is indeed impressive. As soon as one reaches
\nTenggarong, about an hour's drive from the East Kalimantan
\ncapital of Samarinda, visitors will see the new bridge that
\nswoops over the Mahakam River. The \"Golden Gate of Kutai
\nKartanegara\" has become a symbol of Syaukani's leadership.<\/p>\n
And countless other mammoth development projects are underway.
\nThese include the 76-hectare Kumala Delta just across from the
\nregent's office, which is being transformed into a modern Rp 4
\ntrillion Ancol Dreamland-style family resort. There is also a Rp
\n800 billion international airport project that is being designed
\nand a 220-kilometer toll road linking Balikpapan, Samarinda,
\nTenggarong, Bontang and Sangata, which is expected to open by
\n2008.<\/p>\n
\"Before autonomy, we received zero percent from the
\nexploitation of our natural resources. We were just foolish
\nspectators then. Now we get 30 percent. Ideally, the regency's
\nshare would be 50 percent and I am fighting for this,\" Syaukani
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Much of the money comes from the numerous multinational
\ncompanies operating in Kutai Kartanegara, which need the
\nnecessary infrastructure.<\/p>\n
\"By the year 2007, Kutai Kartanegara will no longer have the
\nproblems of poverty, child labor and neglected elderly citizens,\"
\nhe said.<\/p>\n
But don't let all these astronomical figures and sparkling
\ndevelopment projects dazzle you: most of the projects are still
\non the drawing board and the regency is struggling with a lack of
\nqualified local human resources.<\/p>\n
Born on Nov. 11, 1948, Syaukani Hasan Rais - a father of three
\n- began his career as a civil servant. His political career took
\noff when he chaired the Kutai regency legislative council in 1999
\nbefore being elected regent the same year.<\/p>\n
In the Soeharto era, he courted trouble by publicly calling
\nfor greater autonomy for East Kalimantan, frustrated by how the
\ncentral government treated the natural resource-rich territory
\nlike a milch cow. His first bid to become regent was shot down by
\nJakarta.<\/p>\n
He caused further controversy when, in front of hundreds of
\nsupporters at the Tenggarong Grand Mosque, he declared Kutai
\nKartanegara an \"autonomous regency\" before the law on autonomy
\nhad yet to be finalized.<\/p>\n
Despite all the progress that autonomy has brought to Kutai
\nKartanegara, Syaukani is not pleased with the degree of freedom
\nthe central government allows regencies to enjoy.<\/p>\n
\"It is half-hearted autonomy,\" he says. \"The political will is
\nvery weak on the part of the central government. Very often it
\nfails to serve as a role model in law enforcement. For example,
\nthe agrarian law gives the regional administration the right to
\nmanage land, but then came the lower Presidential Instruction No.
\n103\/2003 shifting the right back to the central government.\"<\/p>\n
His relentless efforts on behalf of regional autonomy have
\npropelled him to national prominence. He was appointed chairman
\nof the Association of Regency Administrations (Apkasi).<\/p>\n
Beside Apkasi, he chairs over a dozen organizations, from the
\nEast Kalimantan chapter of the Golkar Party to the provincial
\nbranch of the National Sports Council. He is also the rector of
\nKartanegara University in Tenggarong.<\/p>\n
Syaukani works hard to portray himself as a friend of the
\npeople. On holidays people gather at his residence, asking for
\neverything from alms to money to build mosques. Like a celebrity,
\nhe pleases his \"fans\" by signing autographs while he strolls down
\nthe street.<\/p>\n
With 324 regents grouped in Apkasi lining up behind him,
\nSyaukani is a maverick that regional leaders look at with awe and
\nJakarta's top bureaucrats with suspicion.<\/p>\n
\"We are striving for more autonomy and are always
\nstrengthening our bargaining position,\" he said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/syaukani-lifts-regency-to-new-heights-1447893297",
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