Central Java councils shuns autonomy law revisions
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.