Govt to revise law on regional autonomy

JAKARTA (JP): Less than two months after its implementation, the government is planning to revise Law No. 22/ 1999 on regional autonomy due to existing loopholes that could lead to misinterpretation.

"The intention to revise the law is in accordance with the message conveyed by the People's Consultative Assembly and because the law has many loopholes," Minister of Home Affairs and Regional Autonomy Surjadi Soedirdja told a hearing with the House of Representatives (DPR) Commission II on legal and home affairs.

He cited that many articles of the law had ambiguous meanings and open possibilities for people to have different interpretations.

"For example one article stipulates that there are no structural relations between a governor and the regencies within his or her jurisdiction.

"Many have interpreted the article to have gone too far, so we have to explain that it cannot be interpreted just like that," Surjadi said.

"People should understand the governor is responsible for the success of regional autonomy in his region," he added.

Earlier last week, even Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri cited that many provinces are not yet ready to implement regional autonomy.

To prevent further misleading interpretations, Surjadi said he had to issue many regulations and continue monitoring implementation of the law.

"I do not want to blame anybody for the law, but I understand that it was drafted in a certain political and social condition of the country.

"However, the spirit of the law lacks consistency and has to be revised as soon as possible," he told reporters on the sidelines of the hearing.

"We're responding to calls to revise the law as soon as possible. Hopefully, the House Commission II will support the idea," Surjadi said.

Indonesia officially entered a new era with the implementation of regional autonomy on Jan. 1, but many were pessimistic and believed that it would lead to "bureaucratic chaos".

Law No. 22/1999 regulates the implementation of regional administrations and Law No. 25/1999 regulates the fiscal balance between central government and local administrations.

Commission II member Ferry Mursyidan Baldan said that the House agreed to revise the law and concurred Surjadi's statement.

"Many articles of the law contradict the concept of regional and central government," Ferry told The Jakarta Post after the hearing, while citing the arrangement of natural resources may create further misinterpretation.

He underlined that the House supported the government's plan to revise the law. (dja)