Law grants village chiefs extra powers

Law grants village chiefs extra powers

Asip A. Hasani, The Jakarta Post, Salatiga, Central Java

The regional autonomy law will enable village-level formal
leaders to wield greater power, which endangers democracy in this
changing nation, an expert says.

Political observer Arief Budiman of Melbourne University,
Australia, told a seminar here on Tuesday that heads of villages
and members of village consultative bodies (BPD) were prone to
elitist behavior despite the fact that they had achieved power
through a direct and democratic election.

"Therefore, we should support social movements initiated by
the grass roots to control their formal leaders who are suddenly
alienated from their constituents and who tend to pursue their
own interests," said Arief.

The seminar on local politics was organized by the Percik
Foundation, which was jointly founded by lecturers of Salatiga-
based Satya Wacana University, including Arief, six years ago.

Also speaking at the seminar was Prof. Sutandyo Wignjosoebroto
from Surabaya-based Airlangga University.

Arief said the political phenomenon at village level resembled
that at regency level.

"Like councillors in many regencies in the era of regional
autonomy, members of village legislative bodies are easily
trapped in power play by manipulating village regulations for
their own personal gain," Arief said.

Law No. 22/1999 on regional autonomy, which was implemented
early last year, grants regencies and mayoralties the highest
degree of autonomy. Although containing only a few articles on
village administration, the law states that villages, as the
lowest administrative level, are autonomous compared with
district administrations.

The law also stipulates the establishment of village
consultative bodies whose members are directly elected by the
people. The law also affirms the direct election of village
heads, which has long been adopted.

"In reality, members of BPD and village heads can make a
backroom deal without the people's knowledge. They are entitled
to produce village regulations, for instance, to raise their
salaries or incentives," Arief said.

Meanwhile, Director of Percik Foundation Pradjarta
Dirdjosanjoto told The Jakarta Post that the implementation of
regional autonomy should also be followed by empowerment of local
communities in villages in a bid to improve their political
participation.

"Without these initiatives, regional autonomy won't produce
any advantage to the people except for the elite," he said.

He added that empowerment of local communities should also be
aimed at boosting people's capability to solve their own
problems, such as social conflict, in their own way.

The foundation runs a research institution and regularly
trains junior researchers from various universities and research
centers across the country.