Independent candidates may contest local elections
Kurniawan Hari, Jakarta
Independent candidates may soon be allowed to contest local elections to choose governors, regents, or mayors, according to proposed revisions to autonomy laws.
The revised draft of Law No. 22 on the regional administration also proposes direct elections for governors, regents, or mayors.
Independent figures with no political affiliations may also contest gubernatorial or regental/municipal elections as long as they secure the support of at least 1 percent of total votes in their province, regency or municipality.
In the presidential election, candidates must be nominated by parties or coalitions that garner at least 3 percent of the seats in the House of Representatives (DPR), or 5 percent of total valid votes in the legislative election.
The draft, which the House of Representatives (DPR) plans to deliberate during its current session, also curtails the access of regional administrations to natural resources, a move that may cut the revenue of regional administrations.
Under Law No.22/1999, regional administrations have the authority to exploit natural resources in their territory, and are accountable for environmental conservation (Article 10).
According to the government-sponsored bill, however, access to the natural resources of regional administrations would be reduced.
Article 20 of the bill states that the central government may give authority to regional administrations to utilize natural resources and maritime wealth.
Details of this stipulation would be set out in government regulations.
The government proposes revisions to Law No. 22/1999 in a bid to improve the implementation of regional autonomy.
Regarding efforts to reduce potential disputes between the central government and regional administrations, the bill offers articles that would improve supervision of the performance of regional administrations.
Under the bill, provincial administrations have to submit every bylaw they issue to the central government, and municipal or regental administration have to submit bylaws to the governor, no later than 15 days after their endorsement (Article 113).
The central government would assess every bylaw endorsed by regional administrations to determine whether or not the bylaw contradicted a higher regulation, or offended public interests.
If the bylaw was found to conflict with the law, the central government would have the authority to cancel it.
No more than a month after the government canceled the bylaw, the regional administration would be required to officially revoke the legislation. Rulings issued by the President or the home ministry would be final and binding.
Earlier, the House had also prepared revisions to the regional administration law in an attempt to improve the implementation of regional autonomy.
Since its implementation in 2001, regional autonomy has created disputes between regional administrations and the central government. Several bylaws produced by regional administrations are known to contradict existing laws.
The government offered comprehensive revisions to the regional administration law, but legislators seemed to focus on the direct election of the regional head.
Legislator Agun Gunandjar Sudarsa, who is deputy chairman of a committee for the bill's deliberation, said on Wednesday that the direct election of governors, mayors, and regents would be the top priority during deliberation.
The direct election becomes the main concern because it is mandated in the amended Constitution, he said.
Aside from that, Agun said, legislators would make some revisions so that provincial and regental legislatures (DPRD) could impeach regional heads.
The impeachment would need to be made before a plenary meeting of the DPRD, attended by at least three quarters of its members and approved by two thirds of those who attended the meeting. A move which could only be taken if the governor, the mayor, or the regent had violated their oath, failed to carry out their duty, or violated any restrictions imposed upon them.