Corruption a stumbling block to autonomy

Corruption a stumbling block to autonomy

Tony Hotland, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The government has blamed regional autonomy for exacerbating the
problem of widespread corruption in the country and the slow
mechanism of essential policy making.

Addressing the Regional Representatives Council plenary
session on Tuesday, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said
regional autonomy had contributed to financial mismanagement.

"The ills of corruption, collusion, and nepotism are still
occurring. With the transfer of financial management to the
regions, the tendency of the increase in improprieties and
embezzlements in the regions is also on the rise," he said.

Since declaring a war against corruption upon taking office in
October last year, the President has approved the prosecution of
47 regents in connection with graft. Scores of active or former
officials and councillors have also been put behind bars.

Susilo said that regional autonomy, which took effect in 2000,
had also posed a stumbling block to various policies being
implemented by the central government.

"The capacity of the regions in performing larger and more
important functions and roles, which are in line with the
regional autonomy policies, have not proceeded as we would have
expected.

"Such a condition often causes (the central government) a
dilemma in making a decision and in implementing a policy.
Consequently, in spite of our desire for a decision to be made
immediately and the policy implemented, we quite often experience
impediments," Susilo said.

He said that in various regions of the country weak human
resources were a major problem.

"The tendency of being served is still prevalent in various
government agencies and institutions, whereas the duty of the
state apparatus is to serve the people and meet their needs,"
said Susilo.

After regional autonomy was put in place, new provinces have
emerged, making up the current total of 33, with 440 regencies
and municipalities.

Nonetheless, the President acknowledged that regional autonomy
was a mechanism intended to bring the government closer to the
people.

He said, however, that implementation was a different story
due to the political and administrative barriers.

"This is actually due to the unfinished division of authority
and financing between the levels of governance up to the
present," Susilo said, adding that the country needed to be able
to reverse the centralistic governance way of thought.

In order to cope with those problems, Susilo said that a
balance needed to be realized between the capability to implement
the authorities that had been conferred upon the regions and of
financing their development.

"Clarity in the arrangement of authorities between the levels
of government has become an urgent necessity ... This is an
absolute must to avoid overlapping authorities in the conduct of
governance affairs," he said.

Regional autonomy was part of a sweeping reform aimed at
bringing democracy to the country following the fall of the New
Order authoritarian regime in 1998. But a revision was made to
the regional autonomy law last year, thanks in part to complaints
from business sector of overlapping taxes and levies at various
levels of administration.