Govt should enact regional autonomy
Govt should enact regional autonomy
JAKARTA (JP): The Association of the West Kalimantan Community
in Jakarta (IKKB) warned the government to fully prepare for the
implementation of regional autonomy otherwise it would only
worsen the economic disparity in resource-rich provinces.
IKKB chairman Oesman Sapta alleged that the central government
has yet to make sufficient preparation for implementation of
regional autonomy and combined with the socioeconomic problems
plaguing the country could cause tremendous social havoc.
The critical condition of the country, which he said was a
result of former President Soeharto's repressive rule, is evident
in the poor condition of a majority of the people and the high
rate of unemployment.
"The government must be serious in taking concrete steps to
implement regional autonomy... Almost 80 percent of the people in
the (West Kalimantan) province are still living below the poverty
line, the unemployment rate has reached 40 percent and the crime
rate has risen drastically over the last three years," he told
journalists after leading a West Kalimantan delegation in a
meeting with the House of Representatives' Golkar faction on
Friday.
He warned that sudden changes brought about by regional
autonomy and the poor economic situation could see a recurrence
of the mass violence that erupted in the past.
"The ethnic violence that exploded in 1997 and 1999 is an
emotional expression of West Kalimantan people's disappointment
with the government and social disparity in the province," he
said.
He said Melayu and Dayak people living in West Kalimantan have
been deeply traumatized by the repressive and corrupt government
of the past.
The majority of people in the province have been disappointed
with the government because they have enjoyed nothing from the
economic development in the province, he said.
"We are now marginalized because most people are not educated
and live a hard life. Our culture has been damaged. Millions of
hectares of forest have been abandoned barren and the environment
has been destroyed," he said.
Oesman, also a West Kalimantan representative of the People's
Consultative Assembly (MPR), said it would be difficult for the
government to win the people's confidence because it has yet to
make changes to repair the economic and political situation.
He said one way of doing this is to implement regional
autonomy as long as it does not create even greater commotion.
(rms)