Govt says priority is polls, not provinces

JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Home Affairs Syarwan Hamid rejected on Tuesday the notion of dividing Irian Jaya and Maluku into five provinces before the June 7 elections, saying the government was now prioritizing efforts to ensure a free and fair poll.

"The coming general election carries with it a great risk of jeopardizing national unity (which would happen) if we fail to run it freely and fairly," he said at a meeting with members of the Supreme Advisory Council (DPA) here.

"We will not divide the two provinces hastily at the expense of the elections scheduled for June 7," he said.

He pointed out that legislation on the planned divisions had yet to be drafted, while the House of Representatives was in recess until after the elections. Therefore it would be impossible for the division to take place before the elections, he said.

Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Gen. (ret) Feisal Tanjung announced last Thursday that the government would divide Irian Jaya into three provinces and Maluku into two provinces before the elections.

Syarwan said he had consulted President B.J. Habibie on the matter, and the latter advised against haste.

"The President told me not to force the division of the two provinces ahead of the general election," he said.

DPA members Tarub and Yusuf Syakir pressed the minister to prepare two government regulations in lieu of laws (known as Perpu) so division could take place shortly. They both cited what they called a "state of emergency" in Irian Jaya.

Tarub said 90 percent of the 2.5 million population of Irian Jaya had started demanding independence and hoisting the Independent Papua separatist group's flag.

"This means Irian Jaya is in a state of emergency and the government should not delay," he said.

Separately, Minister of Justice Muladi questioned the campaign for dividing the regions into more provinces, saying he had not heard any strong reasons for the notion.

"The government can issue a Perpu, but do we have good reason to do it? Because the law says such a regulation can be issued only in dire emergencies," he said.

Disintegration

In Tuesday's meeting, DPA deputy chairman Achmad Tirtosudiro expressed concern over the worsening political and economic conditions at home, which he believed could lead to disintegration.

"This multiethnic nation is faced with the prolonged political and economic crisis, worsening social disparities, rampant corruption, collusion and nepotism, spreading violence in regions and economic gaps within society," he said.

He said the situation was aggravated by the fact that the legitimacy of President B.J. Habibie's reform government was still being questioned and the Armed Forces had yet to prove its ability in handling the riots in many regions.

Syarwan said the two laws on regional autonomy and interregional fiscal balance which were recently passed by the House of Representatives were expected to be a key answer to regions which were demanding separation from Indonesia.

"With the two laws, regencies will have the authority to manage their own administrations, elect their leaders, share a bigger part in the revenue from the exploitation of their natural resources and to make deals with foreign investors.

"But the two laws are also expected to maintain national unity because monetary and foreign affairs, the judicial system and defense and security remain the authority of the central government," he said. (rms)