Govt promises more regency autonomy

Govt promises more regency autonomy

JAKARTA (JP): Minister/State Secretary Moerdiono said
yesterday that an authoritarian government would eventually fall
because excessive control created passive, uncreative people.

Such a regime would usually become inefficient, have too many
unnecessary burdens and would sooner of later collapse because of
its limited capacity to bear all its burdens, he said.

"This happens in countries with authoritarian, totalitarian,
communist and military regimes," Moerdiono said yesterday on the
final day of a two-day seminar on regional autonomy.

A regime would also fail if it gave too much attention to
promotion of democracy by encouraging people's creativity and
initiative while ignoring other factors, he said.

"A regime which ignores the importance of national unity and
integration is in for a self-defeating process," Moerdiono said.

The seminar, opened by President Soeharto, was organized by
the alumni of the National Resilience Institute, a military think
tank.

The government launched a trial run for a regional autonomy
program in 26 regencies in April 1995. The project is meant to
give regencies a greater say in their internal affairs.

Critics said the government has been slow to encourage
autonomy. Indonesia passed a law on regional autonomy in 1974.

Indonesia comprises 27 provinces, 243 regencies and 77
mayoralties.

Moerdiono reaffirmed the government's commitment to delegate
more authority to regency administrations. He said local
legislative councils should be empowered so they could define
their own development directions and control their regents and
mayors.

"A regent or mayor is obliged to give an accountability report
to local council," Moerdiono said, then added that this was his
private opinion.

Regents and mayors are not legally accountable to local
legislative bodies but they are to the minister of home affairs.

The government says it will soon only give broad guidelines to
local authorities, which can modify them to meet their needs.

"But the government must be convinced that the autonomy is
still within its control," Moerdiono said.

The Institute of Public Administration's rector, Ryaas Rasyid,
said that Jakarta should decentralize some of its power because
local governments know more about local needs.

This policy would eventually benefit the government because it
would no longer have to spend money on unnecessary development
projects, he said.

"We have been independent for 52 years. The government must
take more concrete steps to appreciate people," Ryaas told the
seminar.

He said regents spent more time in Jakarta dealing with
ministries than in their own offices because most development
programs were decided in Jakarta.

"When a regent returns from Jakarta he is too tired to work,"
he said.

He dismissed fears that autonomy could lead to national
disintegration.

"A regency will not declare itself a republic after receiving
autonomy," he said.

Former Central Java governor Ismail agreed that local
government had to be given more power. He said a strong
legislative body was also needed to ensure public control.

"Sometimes a regent is too ambitious in reaching his own
targets and ignores public aspirations," Ismail said. (06)