Banten province may cause domino effect

Banten province may cause domino effect

BANDUNG (JP): The imminent establishment of Banten as a
province has been greeted with a mixed response, with some
fearing a kind of domino effect.

Provincial council speaker Eka Santosa warned on Thursday that
Banten's separation from West Java could trigger similar moves by
other regions in the province.

"I heard that the Cirebon regency is working on a proposal to
set up an independent province on the grounds that they are not
benefiting from optimal economic growth," he said.

Eka, however, said that the West Java provincial legislative
council accepted the decision establishing Banten as a province.

"We are now waiting for an assessment from the Regional
Autonomy Advisory Board so as to determine which of our assets
will be transferred to Banten," he said, adding that it was
likely that development projects, such as the Situ Cipondoh (Lake
Cipondoh) project, would be turned over to the new province.

Banten was officially endorsed as a new province by the House
of Representative (DPR) on Wednesday. It now only awaits approval
from President Abdurrahman Wahid.

Separately, West Java Governor R. Nuriana said that all
assets related to the new province will be transferred to Banten.

"They include regency and mayoralty offices as well as other
administration buildings," he said.

Deputy speaker of the West Java provincial legislative council
Kurdi Moekri said Banten's separation would not trouble the West
Java province financially.

"I'd like to clarify a previous statement by Ekki (Golkar
legislator Ekki Syahruddin) that West Java is reluctant to let go
of Banten," Kurdi said.

"Banten only contributed Rp 94 billion in revenue to West Java
province this year.

"In contrast, the West Java administration provided a total of
Rp 200 billion to Banten regency this year," he added.

Political observer of the Bandung-based Pasundan University
Setia Permana said the aspirations of other regions such as
Cirebon and Priangan Timur areas to become provinces was normal,
but actually such a move is already too late.

The Priangan Timur area covers Ciamis and Tasikmalaya.

"The center of development in the regional autonomy era is on
the regency/mayoralty level. They will be given greater authority
than the province and receive more of the share of the budget. So
why bother separating themselves?" Setia said.

Setia further warned that Banten has to be prepared for the
possibility of certain elites there who would try to gain power
and in the end forget about the public's interest.

"So being separated has its own cost.

"I think the regions which plan to separate themselves must
hold a fair polling because Bogor or Cirebon, for instance, not
only belong to the residents of those areas but culturally to
other Sundanese people living in West Java as well," he added.
(25/edt)