Bills on new provinces get support from legislators

JAKARTA (JP): Legislators and an academic welcomed on Thursday the continued deliberation of 11 bills on the establishment of three new provinces, 29 regencies and three mayoralties.

According to the present schedule, legislators are pressed for time and have only until Sept. 24 when their term ends.

The House of Representatives met with Minister of Home Affairs Syarwan Hamid to further deliberate the bills introduced by the government on July 27.

In response to whether it was realistic to expect deliberation to be completed, Syarwan said, "We'll just try". New legislators to be sworn in on Oct. 1 may not have to make major changes, he said.

Robbani Thoha of the United Development Party (PPP) faction, a member of House Commission II for domestic affairs, said, "People in provinces like Riau and Maluku have waited for (the bills) for a long time."

He said that when a team from the commission visited the areas to be made into new provinces or regions during the recent House recess period, "the people's response was like an Independence Day celebration".

"Maluku consists of so many islands where local people take several days to travel just to get simple paperwork done," Robbani said. A split of Maluku into north and south provinces would speed up the length of time needed to acquire certain licenses, he said.

Last week, unrest in Maluku included Halmahera in the north, which was reportedly triggered by disputes over plans to split two neighboring districts, but no details were available.

Dividing Irian Jaya into West, East and Central Irian Jaya would also raise efficiency, Robbani said.

However, he acknowledged resistance from the Irianese toward the plan. Activists in Irian Jaya have said they were not consulted about the plan and expressed skeptiscm of whether Irianese would benefit from it in terms of employment, for instance.

"However, in general, most people are extremely happy with the creation of new provinces or regencies," Robbani said.

The bills will also create 29 regencies and three mayoralties in 12 provinces, namely Aceh, Riau, West Sumatra, Jambi, West Kalimantan, East Kalimantan, East Nusa Tenggara, and Central Sulawesi, Maluku and Irian Jaya.

Syarwan also said that the establishment of new areas was meant to provide better access for local people and to enable better local resources management.

In Banda Aceh, Utju Ali Basya, deputy rector for cooperation affairs of Syiah Kuala University, expressed support of the decision in what he said would speed up development in the province. Two new regencies here will be Simeulue, in West Aceh and Bireun, now in North Aceh.

"Bireun... is already a developed area," Utju said, pointing out its strategic location in the middle of Aceh. Bireun is in North Aceh regency and for decades has been the transit point of travelers from various parts of the province. It is located along the Banda Aceh-Medan highway.

Utju said many people in Aceh in the 1960s viewed Bireun was fit to be the capital instead of Banda Aceh. (05)