Home Affairs Ministry to supervise regional budget

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The Ministry of Home Affairs will oversee the use of regional budget, taking over the supervisory role from regional legislatures (DPRDs).

In the planned revision of law No.22/1999 on the fiscal balance the central government will tightly supervise the use of regional budget.

According to law No. 22/1999, known also as autonomy law, regional administrations and legislatures have the authority to draft regional budgets.

"Most of the funds come from Jakarta, so it is the obligation of the central government to ensure the use of the fund," Minister of Home Affairs Hari Sabarno said on Friday.

He said local legislature members would share the duties to plan the budget with regional administrations, but his ministry would also be involved in the discussion.

"We will not let the regions use the fund without clear objectives and purposes as the regional autonomy is aimed to improve the people's welfare," Hari said.

Another point that will be revised in the autonomy law is the reinstatement of governor's authority to deal with problems in the region.

"However, the discussion on governor's authority is not yet finalized, but we will strengthen their position," the minister added.

The regional autonomy was introduced in 2000, during the tenure of former president Abdurrahman Wahid, but calls for revision of autonomy laws came almost immediately after the regional autonomy came into effect.

President Megawati Soekarnoputri has on several occasions demanded for revisions of the law, arguing that the autonomy has gone too far, as it provides excessive power to regional administrations.

Megawati said that regional autonomy should not turn regional leaders into "little kings" and there should be strict rules to ensure people's welfare in the autonomous era.

The government has been discussing the revision of the autonomy laws in the past two years and plans to complete the revision before the election of new president later this year.

Hari said there will be two or three cabinet meetings more before the government could finalize the revision and propose it to the House of Representative.