Autonomy program to go ahead
Autonomy program to go ahead
JAKARTA (JP): The government plans to go ahead and give
greater autonomy to 26 regencies next week despite objections
from two government ministries.
State Minister of Administrative Reform T.B. Silalahi said
yesterday that the central government's pilot project will hand
over more tasks and responsibilities to the regencies and will be
launched by President Soeharto on April 17.
The Ministry of Information and the Ministry of Religious
Affairs are the only two government agencies still opposed to
handing over their affairs to local governments.
The Ministry of Education and Culture dropped its objection at
the last minute after securing assurances from the Ministry of
Home Affairs, which oversees the regencies.
Under the plan, each of the 24 agencies representing the
central government's ministries in the regencies will be put
directly under the command of their respective regency chiefs.
They will no longer take their cue from the central government.
Silalahi said that the ministries in Jakarta will retain some
control over the direction of these offices, especially during
the transition period.
The Ministry of Education and Culture was reluctant to hand
over the administration of the welfare and career of teachers on
its payroll.
The Ministry of Religious Affairs is still opposed to the
autonomy idea, which it fears may upset the harmonious
coexistence of the country's religious groups, according to
earlier press reports.
The Ministry of Information is concerned that losing control
over the region might undermine its chief task of strengthening
the people's sense of nationalism.
Addressing these concerns, Silalahi expressed his belief that
granting regional autonomy will strengthen national unity and not
lead to the disintegration of the nation.
The regional autonomy plan, he argued, will encourage people
to participate in development programs, bring about more local
development and exploit the economic potential of the regions.
"All of these will strengthen national unity," he added.
On a separate occasion, the Ministry of Education and
Culture's Director General for Elementary and Secondary
Education, Zainal Arifin Achmady, confirmed that the ministry has
already reached a number of agreements with related ministries.
"Whether or not we have agreed to delegate certain
responsibilities to local authorities is no longer the issue, he
said. "What's important is that everybody understand the
significance of education."
Silalahi said more talks are planned with the ministries of
information and religious affairs to address certain issues and
concerns.
To support the regional autonomy plan, the local legislative
councils must also strengthen their role in overseeing
development in their respective areas, he said.
They must not let the regents become "little kings". The
councils must also be more cautious in electing their regents, he
said.
Silalahi met with a number of public figures and experts
yesterday to discuss the regional autonomy plan. Taking part in
the meeting were Loekman Sutrisno, Afan Gaffar, Amin Rais, Sofyan
Effendi from Yogyakarta's Gadjah Mada University and Amir
Santoso, Bintan Saragih, and Dorodjatun Kuntjoro-Jakti from the
University of Indonesia.
The experts endorsed the plan, Silalahi said.
The pilot project is the first clear effort to implement Law
No.5/1974, which requires the central government to hand over
greater autonomy to the regions.
It is not immediately clear how long the pilot project will
last, but Silalahi said that if they prove successful, the idea
will be applied to all regencies.
President Soeharto was originally scheduled to inaugurate the
project on April 3, but had to postpone the launch until after
his return from an overseas trip to Germany and several Central
Asian states. (29/pwn)