Local govts must abide by revoked law

Local govts must abide by revoked law

BANDAR LAMPUNG: The Ministry of Home Affairs wants local governments to comply with a presidential decree relating to a local government's authority to approve their regional budgets.

"Presidential Decree No. 110 was revoked by the Supreme Court, however, the President has not approved it. Therefore we should still abide by the decree when determining regional budgets," Minister of Home Affairs Hari Sabarno said Sunday.

However, the President can not overturn decisions made by Indonesia's highest court.

Several regional governments have complained about a telegram sent by the ministry early this month, saying that regional budgets must comply with the decree.

The Minister said that although legislative councils could approve their budgets, certain steps outlined in the decree must be followed to avoid the misuse of funds. --Antara