Central Java councils shuns autonomy law revisions

Agus Maryono, The Jakarta Post, Purwokerto

The speakers of Central Java regency legislative councils ended a two-day meeting in Purwokerto, Central Java, on Sunday night and agreed to campaign against planned revisions of the autonomy law by the central government.

The coordinator of the Association of Central Java Regency Council Speakers, Kumpul Sutrisno, told reporters after the meeting that the planned revisions would only restore the domination of the executive over the legislative, just like during the New Order era.

He especially pointed to article 41 of the proposed amendment, which would allow the President to dissolve regency legislative councils.

"If the President had the right to dissolve local legislative councils, that would be completely absurd. A council is established based on the results of a general election. There is no direct connection with the President," said Kumpul, who is also the speaker of Pemalang legislative council.

A total of 23 council speakers -- out of 35 regency councils in Central Java -- attended the two-day meeting.

The rejection by the 23 council speakers only reiterated the position of the Association of Indonesian Local Legislative Councils (Adeksi).

The rejection by Adeksi added to the long list of parties that have voiced their opposition to the government's plan to revise the Autonomy Law No. 22/1999.

Most recently, former ruling party Golkar, the second largest party in the country, also voiced its opposition to the plan.

Long before, the Association of All-Indonesia Regents had also voiced a similar rejection.

Meanwhile, the Regent of Kebumen, Central Java, Rustriningsih, voiced her support for the government's plan to revise the law, saying that the law gave too much power to regency legislative councils.

"Under the law, the council has too much power over the regency's finances ... It is onerous for regents like me. So, I think the law needs to be revised," she said.