Councillors press ahead with new municipality

Multa Fidrus, The Jakarta Post, Tangerang

Although Tangerang regent Ismet Iskandar has publicly rejected demands for the creation of what is being called the Cipasera municipality, councillors there say that they will press ahead with hearings on the issue.

Public demands have mounted for Ciputat, Pamulang, Pondok Aren, Serpong, Cisauk and Pagedangan districts to form the new Cipasera municipality. The six districts contribute up to 40 percent of Tangerang's revenue.

"Although regent Isamet Iskandar disagrees with the people's wishes, us councillors will continue to process the demands for a new municipality," councillor Arief Wahyudi told The Jakarta Post on Friday.

Tangerang councillors are scheduled to hold a hearing Monday to determine whether or not an feasibility study for the Cipasera Municipality was required or not.

The council is backing the establishment of more new municipalities in the region and therefore a feasibility study would be required, he said.

Regent Ismet opposed the planned new municipality, but held out the prospect of the formation of two new towns by 2010.

"We aren't opposed to plans to divide the region into more administrative towns, satellite towns or even municipalities but the formation of Cipasarea municipality will not happen in 2006," Ismet told a hearing at the regency council on Friday.

Ismet said his administration planned to form two new towns in the southern part of the regency -- Ciputat and Serpong towns -- in 2010.

It is planned that Ciputat, Pamulang and Pondok Aren districts will be merged into the new town of Ciputat, while Serpong, Cisauk and Pegedangang districts will be merged into the town of Serpong," he said.

"We cannot be in a hurry. As part of making the initial preparations for the new towns, we are preparing to upgrade the status of 72 villages to subdistricts," he said, adding that the formation of Cipasera municipality was precipitous.

Council member Basuki said that it was not regent Ismet who had the right decide whether Cipasera could be formed or not, but the Central government and the House of Representatives.

"Regent Ismet has no authority to say "yes" or "no" to Cipasera's formation in 2006," he told the Post.

He said Ismet's plan to establish the two new towns of Ciputat and Serpong in 2010 was unrealistic as the districts had already developed into populous areas.

Article 224 of Law No. 32 on local government states that the President may set up a jurisdictional review committee if he believes it important to establish a new local government jurisdiction despite the objections of regents or governors.

"The committees are supposed to be chaired by the home affairs minister. We have approached the central government and we don't care what regent Ismet has to say," he said.