Minister warns of negative effects of decentralization

Minister warns of negative effects of decentralization

JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Home Affairs and Regional Autonomy
Surjadi Soedirdja warned on Wednesday over the growing
misperception of regional autonomy and the potential for the
decentralization of corruption as an unwanted effect of regional
autonomy.

"We are aware of those possible effects, that's why we are
trying to provide (government) decrees to prevent it," he told
reporters after attending a hearing with the House of
Representative's Commission II for domestic and legal affairs.

The government has pledged to fully implement regional
autonomy by January, 2001.

Surjadi said the transfer of economic resources to regional
administrations could easily be followed by a transfer of
corruptive practices too if such a transfer was not supported by
adequately skilled human resources and a control system.

"The condition will be even worse if most regional leaders and
officials think the way the previous government thought," he
added.

He also warned of a misperception of regional autonomy by many
as regionalism.

He said the government needs the assistance of the media to
disseminate the correct meaning of regional autonomy.

"We need your help because people are reluctant to listen to
the government's explanation that regional autonomy is not
identical to regionalism," he said.

Surjadi stressed the regions should be aware of the
interdependent relationship between the various provinces,
including between rich and poor ones.

"If affluent regions lack qualified human resources perhaps
they can be provided by the poorer regions," he said. (44)