Megawati steps up attacks on regional governments

Megawati steps up attacks on regional governments

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

President Megawati Soekarnoputri stepped up her attack on
Indonesia's regents and mayors on Sunday who have consistently
opposed her move to revise the Autonomy Law, saying their lack of
understanding of the law has resulted in deviations and abuses.

Megawati said that the country's regents and mayors were still
confused as to how to implement the Autonomy Law and that such
confusion had resulted in deviations from the concept of regional
autonomy itself.

"Some regents have bought houses in Jakarta as their
representative offices, when in fact there are a lot of hotels in
the capital city," Megawati was quoted by Antara as saying in
Medan, North Sumatra on Sunday.

Earlier, Megawati, who has been pushing for the revision of
Law No. 22/1999 on regional administration, lashed out at
regional authorities for excessive regionalism in recruiting
civil servants, warning that such a move would eventually weaken
the performance of regional administrations and hurt the country
as a whole.

She also said on Sunday that the implementation of Law No.
22/1999 on regional administration, known also as the Autonomy
Law, and Law No. 25/1999 on balanced finance has sparked discord
between the home minister and governors on one side and regents
and mayors on the other, and created rifts among regents and
mayors.

"Governors are fighting with regents, the regents with other
regents and district heads. Why do the regents and mayors go on
their own? Are the home minister and governors no longer
relevant?" she asked.

Commenting on Megawati's statement, the Association of
Regional Administration (Apkasi) Chairman H.R. Syaukani denied on
Sunday that there was conflict between the home minister and
governors on one hand and regents or mayors on the other, saying
that not a single regent has ever undermined the home minister or
governors.

"Regional autonomy is being used as a scapegoat for high-
ranking government officials to express their disappointment as
much of their power has been taken over by the people at the
regency level," he said.

He said moves by Minister of Home Affairs Hari Sabarno to
amend the two laws proved that the central government had no
political will to implement regional autonomy properly.

"I think the central government's political will to implement
regional autonomy properly in line with the aspirations of the
people at large is very low," he said.

Regional autonomy was introduced on Jan. 1, 2001.

"The power and influence of Cabinet ministers and governors
have been reduced and it is now the people (regents) who have the
power," he said as quoted by Antara.

Megawati insisted that the revision of Autonomy Law was
necessary as there were several fundamental problems with the
very concept of autonomy under the current law. The problems, she
said, were related to "our statehood and nationhood."

"We want to amend those items; indeed we must do it in order
to strengthen our national unity and the integrity of the unitary
state of the Republic of Indonesia," Megawati said in late
January.

Her move, however, has met with strong resistance from leaders
of Apkasi and legislative councils (Adeksi), who see the plan as
part of efforts to re-centralize the government.

Two big factions in the House of Representatives (DPR), Golkar
and the National Awakening Party, have also expressed their
objection to Megawati's plan to revise the Autonomy Law.