The problem with autonomy<\/p>\n
Less than five months after its induction last Jan. 1, some
\nserious flaws in Indonesia's law on regional autonomy are
\nbeginning to show. Apparently Vice President Megawati
\nSoekarnoputri had some of these flaws in mind when this week she
\nstrongly criticized the law -- known officially as Law No.22\/1999
\n-- as being against the principles of Indonesia as a unitary
\nstate as is laid down in the 1945 Constitution.<\/p>\n
In an opening speech at a workshop at the Ministry of Home
\nAffairs attended by provincial governors from all over the
\ncountry, Megawati underlined this principle of unitarianism,
\nsaying the government would never acknowledge the existence of
\n\"states within the (Indonesian) state\".<\/p>\n
Many excesses have been noticeable in the practice of regional
\nautonomy since the law was decreed on Jan. 1 \"because Law
\nNo.22\/1999 does not share the same principles with the 1945
\nConstitution, on which the law should have been based\". One
\narticle of the law, for instance, states that provinces are not
\nsuperior to kabupaten (regencies) thereby breaking the
\nestablished hierarchical relationship between the two levels.
\n\"Now we are already seeing signs of 'rebellion' by regencies
\ntoward provincial governments which should have authority over
\nthe regencies,\" Megawati said.<\/p>\n
To be sure, the need for granting autonomy to the various
\nareas that are scattered throughout this country is a principle
\nthat was well accepted by the central government in Jakarta ever
\nsince the early days of independence in the 1950s. Obviously, the
\ncentral government cannot possibly control how its policies are
\nexecuted in all regions throughout this vast archipelago -- not
\nto mention the different needs and conditions in those regions.<\/p>\n
The main problem was that natural and economic resources in
\nthis country were far from evenly distributed across all regions,
\nand that Jakarta needed to balance incomes and expenditures to
\nensure that poorer regions were not neglected. Of course, Jakarta
\nalso needed money to finance the central government's
\nexpenditure, such as for the purposes of security and defense,
\nand foreign policy.<\/p>\n
The need for granting autonomy to the regions, however, became
\nespecially pressing after the fall of the New Order regime in
\n1998 and a law was hastily drafted. The result, as can be
\nexpected, is a legislative product that is often confusing and
\nfalls short of expectations. Investors wanting to participate in
\nmining, trade or in forestry, for example, have no clear
\nguidelines as to whom they should turn to for the necessary
\npapers. Several regions have issued their own regulations without
\nguidance from Jakarta.<\/p>\n
These, however, are shortcomings that can and will be
\ncorrected in time. Of a more serious nature is the rise of what
\nis known as ethno-nationalism. The violent protest of the Dayak
\npopulation in some areas of Kalimantan against newcomers from the
\nisland of Madura, for example, provided a dramatic example of how
\nugly a form this kind of nationalism could take. Considering the
\nsmoldering resentment that exists against newcomers in some other
\nregions of Indonesia, one should not be surprised to see a repeat
\nof the Kalimantan unrest elsewhere in the archipelago -- unless,
\nthat is, some real measures are taken to forestall that from
\nhappening.<\/p>\n
These are current developments that Indonesians could hardly
\nhave foreseen even a decade ago, when ethnic sentiments were
\ndeeply buried in the name of national cohesion and stability. We
\nstrongly suggest, though, that revised Law No. 22\/1999 -- which
\nthe government is now reportedly working on -- give due
\nrecognition to this most important issue. In the final analysis,
\nIndonesia's strength is to be found in its very diversity, and
\nnot in any kind of uniformity imposed from above.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/the-problem-with-autonomy-1447893297",
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