Legislators call for regional autonomy to avoid disintegration
Legislators call for regional autonomy to avoid disintegration
JAKARTA (JP): Regional representatives at the People's
Consultative Assembly (MPR) urged the government on Friday to
implement regional autonomy to minimize the threat of national
disintegration and separatist activities.
Representing West Kalimantan in the highest legislative body,
Oesman Sapta said the current centralistic governmental system
was suspect due to its inability to provide an equal distribution
of wealth, as well as welfare improvements.
"The tense political situation in several provinces,
especially Aceh, Riau, West Kalimantan and Irian Jaya is in fact
an expression of people's dissatisfaction with the centralistic
government system," he said on Friday.
He warned that more provinces would become restless if the
government remained unresponsive to the issue.
He said the Forum of Regional Representatives was deeply
concerned with the political situation and would organize a
seminar to discuss the federal state system in an effort to
respond to the issue.
Chairman of the seminar's organizing committee Assembly member
Laode said keynote speakers at the day-long seminar scheduled for
Dec. 7 would be Assembly Speaker Amien Rais, who is a key
proponent of the idea of federalism, Minister for Regional
Autonomy Affairs Ryaas Rasyid and Ismail Sunni, a constitutional
law expert from the University of Indonesia.
Laode said that apart from the Assembly's 135 regional
representatives, all provincial legislative councils had
expressed an intention to send delegations to the seminar.
Separately in Yogyakarta, Anhar Gonggong, a historian from the
University of Indonesia, said in a discussion on national defense
issues that even if a federal state was adopted, nationalism
would remain a relevant sentiment in maintaining national unity.
"What does nationalism really mean? Bhineka Tunggal Ika (unity
in diversity). Despite the nation's differences in race,
ethnicity, language and culture, the people are united.
"Federalism has actually been aired in an effort to maintain
this diversity," he said. (44/rms)