JP/5/FAUZI
New West Sumatra governor faces daunting challenges
Syofiardi Bachyul Jb The Jakarta Post/Padang
After successfully implementing the principles of good governance in Solok regency, Gamawan Fauzi, who was elected West Sumatra governor in the July 27 gubernatorial election, has vowed to repeat his feat. Gamawan was inaugurated as governor together with Vice Governor Marlis Rahman on Aug. 15.
"I have the authority now, and we are going to combat corruption and give good service in the West Sumatra provincial administration," said Gamawan in an exclusive interview with The Jakarta Post.
According to the recipient of the Bung Hatta Anticorruption Award in 2004, he will allot the administration to function as usual until the end of the year.
"I will then evaluate the condition and prepare steps to eradicate corruption in 2006," he said.
Gamawan led Solok regency for two terms from 1995 to 2005 and gradually implemented principles of good governance in the regency, such as requiring government officials to sign an "integrity pact" in 2003 in which every official agreed not to give or receive anything unlawfully. Pacts were also signed by a number of partners involved in joint projects with the regental administration.
He was also successful in establishing the One Door Service Plus, in which public services were performed promptly and transparently, with the public being informed beforehand about fees and the time it would take to process all services.
Gamawan plans to implement the same program in the West Sumatra provincial administration. As an initial step, he signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on corruption between the provincial administration and the Partnership Governance Reform in Indonesia.
Gamawan and HS Dillon, from Partnership Governance Reform, signed the MOU, witnessed by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, 1,070 traditional leaders, village, district and subdistrict heads, mayors and regents, in Padang on Thursday last week.
He also signed an MOU with the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) and the minister of administrative reforms in a joint program to establish good governance and clean government in the framework of creating an "Island of Integrity" in West Sumatra.
The first such agreement endorsed by the West Sumatra administration will be followed up by various concrete programs, such as assisting the administration to formulate a plan, issue policies, disseminate information and assist in drafting provincial bylaws. The agreement is new to the province and is not binding to mayoral or regental administrations.
"I need time to involve the mayors and regents in discussions to realize it. I'm sure it will move toward that direction in time," he said.
Even though the anticorruption drive is on top of Gamawan's priority list, he is not focusing solely on that. The West Sumatra provincial administration faces a high unemployment rate, low investment climate and has an unfeasible number of civil servants. The number of civil servants has reached 10,000 and is no longer realistic.
Unemployment and the limited number of job opportunities have become a serious problem in West Sumatra. Every year, at least 15,000 graduates from a number of higher learning institutes and some 50,000 senior high school graduates enter the job market. There is only a small number of investors to create job opportunities.
However, Gamawan hopes to find a solution to the problem by heeding people's aspirations and holding talks with various circles to prepare the Provincial Strategic Plan (Renstra), which will be initiated next year.
Gamawan was born in Solok on Nov. 9, 1957. He graduated from Padang's Andalas University's Law School, majoring in constitutional law and attained his master's degree at the University of Padang in 2002. Gamawan became the youngest regent at the age of 37 when he was elected Solok regent in 1995.