House, government agree on new Banten province
JAKARTA (JP): The map of the archipelago will change soon now that the House of Representatives and the government have agreed to the establishment of Banten as a province.
The House special committee and the government completed their four-month deliberation of the bill on the new province on Tuesday, with the endorsement to be formalized in a House plenary session on Wednesday.
Representing the government were Minister of Home Affairs and Regional Autonomy Surjadi Soedirdja and Minister of Justice and Human Rights Yusril Ihza Mahendra.
Surjadi said the establishment of Banten province would enable economic progress in the territory and better public services under a more democratic atmosphere.
"We hope Banten will improve in the future. If it does not, it will mean we have made a mistake (in endorsing the bill)," Surjadi, a Banten native, told reporters after Tuesday's hearing.
He said other regions could follow in the footsteps of Banten as long as they fulfilled all the requirements stipulated by law.
After Banten, the House is set to debate bills on establishing the oil-rich Riau and the aluminum-rich Bangka-Belitung islands, both in Sumatra, as new provinces.
The President must enact the Banten bill into law within 30 days after the House's approval on Wednesday.
The establishment of Banten province will bring the number of first-level administrative regions to 28.
According to the bill's article 3, Banten will consist of four regencies (Serang, Pandeglang, Lebak and Tangerang) and two mayoralties (Tangerang and Cilegon), formerly parts of West Java province.
The administrative area of Banten as it currently stands occupies 8,200 square kilometers with a population of over nine million.
The bill stipulates that Serang will be the province's capital (article 7).
The composition of the legislative council of the new province will be in line with the results of last year's general election in the administrative area (article 12).
In the first year of its self-rule, Banten will finance its routine expenditures using part of the original West Java revenue coming from regencies and mayoralties under the old Banten administrative area (article 15).
Golkar Party legislator Ali Yahya, who is also the deputy chairman of the House special committee, claimed after the hearing that his party had nominated him for the gubernatorial post in Banten.
He suggested that the government appoint an acting governor, whose job would include preparing the election of the first governor.
Several Banten informal leaders and supporters of the bill, including former managing editor of Kompas morning daily Ace Suhaedi Masdupi who is now chief editor of Lippostar.com, attended Tuesday's hearing.
The proposal to establish Banten as a province was previously rejected by West Java province. Following pressure from the Banten community, the central government and the House members, West Java administration finally approved of the plan.
Separately, chief of regional autonomy of the West Java administration Suherwan said the provincial government remained undecided over whether to agree to transfer some of its revenue to Banten province in the first year of its inception.
"How can we finance another province when we lack cash?" Suherwan told The Jakarta Post in Bandung on Tuesday.
He admitted that the House endorsement of the bill on Banten province would be hard to accept since it would reduce West Java's income. Banten administrative area contributed about Rp 100 billion to the province's original revenue.
However, he promised his administration would help the new province establish its infrastructure and personnel.
Hundreds of people will attend the House plenary session on Wednesday, with Tangerang Council reportedly providing four buses to transport them.
They said the establishment of Banten province would clear administrative barriers which in the past obliged them to make frequent trips to the provincial capital of Bandung. (25/41/jun)