Autonomy law stays, but needs revision: Megawati

Asip Agus Hasani, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta

President Megawati Soekarnoputri said here on Wednesday that the government had no intention of rescinding the one-year-old regional autonomy law, but insisted that Law No. 22, 1999 on regional autonomy needed revisions to maintain the country's unity.

"As President of Indonesia, haven't the slightest intention of reducing or retracting this decentralization of power -- but I hope that we all view this in terms of national interest, for uncontrolled passions can cause the nation to collapse," she said in her address at Gadjah Mada University (UGM).

She spoke at the opening of a seminar on regional autonomy which was organized by the university's post-graduate program on local government and regional autonomy.

The President, who was accompanied by Coordinating Minister of Economy Dorodjatun Kuntjoro Djakti; Minister of Home Affairs Hari Sabarno, and Coordinating Minister of Security and Political Affairs Gen. (ret) Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, marked the opening of the seminar which featured experts on the issue.

Megawati also called on regions to end their suspicions about the possible withdrawal of the implementation of regional autonomy by the central government, saying that regional autonomy was inevitable for the archipelago to adopt a proper foundation for its religious and ethnic plurality.

She said that the suspicion needed to be quickly addressed, otherwise it would generate deeper tension between central government and the regions. She criticized some regions' threats to separate from Indonesia outright any time they supposed the central government was making efforts to intervene their affairs.

"A new problem arises now that many governors, regents, and majors are reluctant to answer the central government's invitations as the law No. 22, 1999 law stipulates that there is no hierarchical line between central government and regional governments," she said.

Megawati also emphasized the urgent need to revise the law No. 22, 1999 in connection with the regions' control of the sea area which had generated conflicts and competitions among regions for their control over sea zone.

She underscored that regions' control over territorial waters could jeopardize the national unity, as sea channels was something that connected one island to the others in this archipelago.

"The country's founding fathers recognized the concept of regional autonomy as a concept which was closely associated with nationhood," she said.

Her presence in the university was greeted by hundreds of student protesters grouped in the Front of Poor People's Defender and the Big Family of Gadjah Mada University Student who questioned the government's commitment in defending the people's interest and in eradicating corruptions.

Protesters were unable to approach Balairung Building where the seminar opening ceremony was held for tight security measures by hundreds of police and armed force personnel.

A scuffle between protesters and police almost took place around the faculty of philosophy, but the tension diminished as police personnel began to leave the site.

Some of their posters read, "Megawati is no the longer people's leader," "Give people access to cheap education!" "We reject Mega's visit," "Resign! Mega, Amien, Akbar, Haz can't solve the country's problem."