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)