Autonomy raises challenges: Researcher

Autonomy raises challenges: Researcher

MATARAM: The Regional Autonomy Law and its enforcement has raised several challenges that urgently need solutions, said Tri Ratnawati, a researcher at the Indonesian Institute of Sciences.

"It's not wise to forget the mistakes made in implementing autonomy," she said during a seminar on Looking for a Model for Autonomy for the Future on Monday.

The most controversial is the unclear division of authority between the central government and the regions (provinces and regencies), she said.

"It is not clear why the law excludes defense, monetary affairs, courts, religions and foreign policy from decentralization," she said.

The other concern is that regions have never been asked about what authority they should exercise in controlling regional autonomy, she said.

She said provinces and regencies had issued thousands of rulings and bylaws to boost income as high as possible without giving any consideration to national interests or other regencies. --JP