Factions agree on regional autonomy decree
JAKARTA (JP): All 11 factions at the People's Consultative Assembly were united on Thursday in support of a draft decree on regional autonomy, but warned of an increased tendency toward regionalism.
During a plenary session to give feedback to draft decrees presented by Assembly ad hoc committees, the factions also supported the government's plan to implement a special autonomy status in the volatile but natural resource-rich provinces of Aceh and Irian Jaya this year.
In its general view, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) faction stated regional autonomy should be implemented under the framework of the unitary state of Indonesia.
"Autonomy should avoid the emergence of narrow regionalism and an absence of solidarity between people of different regions. It should develop pluralism within the unitary state," the faction said in its statement read by spokesman Yoseph Umarhadi.
Yoseph said the faction hoped the implementation of regional autonomy would be followed by democratization in individual regions to prevent the rise of "little kings" in the regions.
He said his faction believed centralized and uniform policies adopted by the regime of former president Soeharto caused the death of democracy and regional initiative.
"Centralization and uniformity have sparked strong demands from the regions for federalism. Many regions want to secede and proclaim their own states," Yoseph said.
Therefore, he said, a decree on regional autonomy issued by the country's highest legislative body, the Assembly, was necessary and unavoidable.
The Golkar Party faction said regional autonomy should be considered as the delegation of authority from the central government to local administrations.
"Regional autonomy is not charity from the central government. It's a division of authority," the faction said in its statement, read by Hajriyanto Y. Thohari.
The United Development Party (PPP) faction said Article 8 of the draft decree, which states the central government will grant autonomy to the regions, needed to be reworded.
"The article could be misinterpreted as charity from the central government to local administrations," the faction's spokesman, Zainuddin Isman, said.
The article should say the local administrations possess wide- ranging autonomy, excluding authority in certain areas, Zainuddin said.
The Reform faction said the decree was necessary because laws and regulations endorsed in the past were unable to create regional autonomy.
"The decree is expected to motivate the executive branch to show its political ability to apply regional autonomy," the faction's spokeswoman, Zirlyrosa Jamil, said.
The National Awakening Party (PKB), the Crescent Star Party (PBB) and a number of other minor factions expressed similar support for the Assembly to issue a decree on regional autonomy.
If the plan goes as expected regional autonomy will take effect on Jan. 1 next year. (jun)