The province of Banten<\/p>\n
Without fanfare and practically unnoticed by many Indonesians,
\nBanten, a former regency on Java's western tip, became this
\ncountry's youngest province earlier this month.<\/p>\n
That should have been reason for celebration. Instead, the
\nelevation of Banten's status from regency to province has
\ntriggered a debate on who will actually benefit from the move.<\/p>\n
Critics of the move argue that the step is a maneuver by local
\nofficials wanting to enrich themselves by gaining control over
\nthe area's resources.<\/p>\n
Members of the local bureaucracy, on the other hand, argue
\nthat it will benefit the general population since with the
\nexpected granting of regional autonomy, the new province will be
\nmaster of its own regional resources.<\/p>\n
This argument would be difficult to refute if the area
\npossessed more than enough resources to provide for its needs. On
\nthe other hand, if resources should prove to be insufficient or
\nif they are inefficiently managed, economic and social problems
\ncould arise.<\/p>\n
In itself, there is of course nothing wrong with an
\neconomically self-sufficient area becoming a province. Indonesia,
\nafter all, is not only huge in size, it is a country of
\nstaggering diversity. With regional autonomy in sight, elevating
\nregencies into provinces could make the country easier to manage.
\nRegions would have control over their resources so they can be
\nbetter used for the benefit of the population.<\/p>\n
One danger specific to Indonesia that such a policy could
\npose, though, is that it could encourage the already growing
\nprovincial sentiments in the regions and eventually lead toward
\ndisintegration.<\/p>\n
In Banten's case, for instance, an argument raised in some
\nquarters of the population was that the area deserved to be
\nexcluded from the province of West Java, of which it had been a
\npart until this month, because it was different in terms of
\nethnic makeup, culture and language.<\/p>\n
Whereas the rest of West Java (with the exclusion of Cirebon)
\nis inhabited by ethnic Sundanese, Banten, like Cirebon, has a
\npopulation that is related more to the Javanese in terms of
\nculture, ethnicity and language. Obviously, to base the creation
\nof autonomous areas -- provinces -- solely on such arguments
\nwould be senseless and can only stir up potentially divisive
\nregional sentiments.<\/p>\n
Even at present, the growth of such sentiments in a number of
\nareas -- Riau, Bangka-Belitung, Maluku and Irian Jaya come to
\nmind -- is presenting the government with more problems than it
\ncan effectively handle.<\/p>\n
Not that regional pride or chauvinism is always a bad thing.
\nAs early as in the 1970s, then Jakarta governor Ali Sadikin
\ncampaigned to make Jakarta's mixed population more \"Jakartan\" in
\norder to promote development. A sense of regional pride, he
\nargued, was necessary to motivate people to take care of their
\nregion's interests.<\/p>\n
The danger is in giving those sentiments too free a reign so
\nas to endanger the cohesion and unity of the nation -- an
\nimportant factor for the maintenance of stability in the country
\nand the region.<\/p>\n
The problem here seems to be that no clear criteria exist to
\ndefine a province in this country. For example, should size of
\npopulation be a consideration? Or land area, or annual revenue?
\nAnd so forth.<\/p>\n
The government and national legislature would be well advised
\nto be careful in granting an area the status of province. If well
\nplanned and thought through, such a step could indeed raise the
\nlevel of the people's welfare. Carelessly done, on the other
\nhand, it could lead to mismanagement, increased poverty and
\nproblems that are as yet difficult to foresee.<\/p>\n
Hopefully, in the case of Banten, it is truly the people who
\nwill reap the benefits of the area's new status as a province.
\nBanten in the old days thrived as a trading center. It is at
\npresent an important center of industrial development as well as
\na producer of gold and other products. Hopefully, by becoming
\nIndonesia's youngest province, Banten will regain some of its
\nlost glory.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/the-province-of-banten-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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