26 regencies slated for greater autonomy

26 regencies slated for greater autonomy

JAKARTA (JP): The government will begin handing over greater
autonomy to 26 regency administrations across the country in
April as pilot projects for the granting of greater say and
responsibility to even more regions, a senior official of the
Ministry of Home Affairs said yesterday.

Director General of Regional Autonomy Sumitro Maskun told
reporters that President Soeharto will launch the trial-run for
the government's decentralization program in April.

Sumitro said the 26 provinces concerned have been selected as
models.

Each of the 26 regencies will receive Rp 60 million ($28,000)
to implement the program. The central administration will also
dispatch officials to help.

"If the models run smoothly, we will expand the program to
other regencies nationwide," he said.

He added that the program would be adjusted and modified to
suit the particular, local conditions in each regency.

He did not name the regencies that have been selected for the
pilot project.

Officials said the policy of giving greater regional autonomy
requires the presence of strong legislative councils in the
regencies because it is the council members who make the policies
that the administrations have to implement.

Sumitro said the decentralization program has a number of
basic objectives. They include:

* Strengthening the local economy because local administrators
and politicians have a better knowledge of the economic
potentialities of their region than does the central government.

* Improving public services.

* Meeting the needs of each region appropriately and quickly.

* Strengthening the democratic process in the regions.

Sumitro said personnel, organization and management are the
problems most often cited by regencies in discussions about
greater regional autonomy. (29)