'Grand design' for regional map: Ministry
The government is finalizing a 'grand design' for Indonesia’s regional subdivisions that should be completed this year, Home Affairs Ministry spokesman Saut Situmorang said on Thursday (31/1/08).
The grand design, said Situmorang, would determine the ideal number of provinces and regencies for the nation, adding that the issue was being considered from a number of aspects, Kompas reported.
These aspects included economic sustainability, demographic issues, governmental capacity and others.
A total of 174 new administrative units have been formed since the Law on Autonomy was introduced in 1999 and all were now be evaluated, said the spokesman.
"We need to look at what the process of decentralized has achieved and the welfare of the public, together with improvements in standards of public service," Situmorang said.
Separately, Alfitra Salamm, a researcher from the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), said that a grand design is urgently needed to organize the creation of new regional administrative units.
"The grand design must be based on national interest and should involve the president himself," Salamm explained.
The government and the Regional Representatives Council (DPD) agreed on January 25 to temporarily halt discussion of bills initiated by the House on the creation that would create new provinces and regencies across the country.
Head of the DPD Ginandjar Kartasasmita suggested the deliberation of the bills be postponed until the 2009 general election has been completed. The president is expected to announce his decision on the bills soon.
The government and the DPD also agreed to evaluate 173 new provinces and regencies which have been created since 1999 and those which are not successful will be integrated into other existing regions.
In the meantime, the DPD's evaluation showed that about 10% of the 174 regions failed to accomplish the goal of improving welfare. "Research was conducted in the regions that have resulted from the regional expansion scheme since 1999," said DPD deputy chairman Irman Gusman.
The deputy chairman said he believed that the creation of new provinces and regencies should be the business of government alone. (Kompas/SS/Koran Tempo)
The grand design, said Situmorang, would determine the ideal number of provinces and regencies for the nation, adding that the issue was being considered from a number of aspects, Kompas reported.
These aspects included economic sustainability, demographic issues, governmental capacity and others.
A total of 174 new administrative units have been formed since the Law on Autonomy was introduced in 1999 and all were now be evaluated, said the spokesman.
"We need to look at what the process of decentralized has achieved and the welfare of the public, together with improvements in standards of public service," Situmorang said.
Separately, Alfitra Salamm, a researcher from the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), said that a grand design is urgently needed to organize the creation of new regional administrative units.
"The grand design must be based on national interest and should involve the president himself," Salamm explained.
The government and the Regional Representatives Council (DPD) agreed on January 25 to temporarily halt discussion of bills initiated by the House on the creation that would create new provinces and regencies across the country.
Head of the DPD Ginandjar Kartasasmita suggested the deliberation of the bills be postponed until the 2009 general election has been completed. The president is expected to announce his decision on the bills soon.
The government and the DPD also agreed to evaluate 173 new provinces and regencies which have been created since 1999 and those which are not successful will be integrated into other existing regions.
In the meantime, the DPD's evaluation showed that about 10% of the 174 regions failed to accomplish the goal of improving welfare. "Research was conducted in the regions that have resulted from the regional expansion scheme since 1999," said DPD deputy chairman Irman Gusman.
The deputy chairman said he believed that the creation of new provinces and regencies should be the business of government alone. (Kompas/SS/Koran Tempo)