Autonomy law revision 'not to centralize power'

Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The Ministry of Home Affairs' director general for regional public administration, Sudarsono Hardjosoekarto, reiterated on Monday that a plan to revise the law on regional autonomy was aimed mainly at avoiding multiple interpretations of the law.

He strongly denied allegations that the revision was intended to centralize power.

"The revision must continue in order to avoid multiple interpretations with several articles of the law, which I believe could lead to disputes between the central and local governments," Sudarsono said.

"Our team is currently identifying these articles and we need more time to identify problems caused by the law before we communicate it (the plan on revision) to related institutions, including the regents and representatives of local administrations," Sudarsono said.

Sudarsono, who is also chairman of the government's team in charge of preparing the law's revision, said the central government would soon hold a discussion with representatives of local administrations in order to avoid further differences of opinion over the revision plan.

Despite protests from regents and representatives of local administrations over the plan to revise Law No. 22/1999 on regional autonomy and Law No. 25/1999 on fiscal balance, Minister of Home Affairs Lt. Gen. Hari Sabarno has insisted that the government will continue with the plan.

Many people have criticized the law on autonomy, saying it could have negative impacts. For example, investors are confused about which administrations -- local or central -- have the authority to issue permits.

Several regencies have issued their own regulations without any guidance from Jakarta.

The demand for autonomy grew after the downfall of the New Order regime in 1998 which was widely resented for ignoring development in the provinces. The strongest demands for autonomy came from provinces rich in natural resources such as Irian Jaya, Riau and Aceh.

Autonomy, nevertheless, has been deemed as a potential threat to the country's integration. Even the then vice president, Megawati Soekarnoputri, criticized the autonomy concept, saying that the law went against the principle of Indonesia being a unitary state as laid down in the 1945 Constitution.

In a related development, Regency Administrations' Association (Apkasi) chairman Syaukani HR reiterated in Samarinda, East Kalimantan, on Monday, his rejection of the revision, saying it could create new problems as the central government held partial evaluation over its implementation.

"The plan to revise the law is intended mainly to maintain the central government's own interest as autonomy will only lessen its power," Syaukani said as quoted by Antara.