Autonomy law stays, but needs revision: Megawati

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."