Govt proposes 25 new regencies

Govt proposes 25 new regencies

JAKARTA: The government has submitted 10 bills to the House of
Representatives (DPR) on the establishment of 25 autonomous
regencies throughout the country.

President Megawati Soekarnoputri, in a letter accompanying the
bills, said she had assigned Minister of Home Affairs Hari
Sabarno to discuss the bills with legislators.

"Based on existing procedure, we let the steering committee
arrange the schedule," House Deputy Speaker A. M. Fatwa told a
plenary meeting here on Thursday.

During a recent hearing between the home ministry and House
Commission II for home affairs, commission chairman Teras Narang
said lawmakers would finish deliberating the new regency
formation as soon as possible.

During the hearing, the minister said his office had also
prepared bills on various issues to boost the implementation of
regional autonomy. -- JP