Ministry told to cede power

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

In what appeared to be an about face, President Megawati Soekarnoputri told the Ministry of Home Affairs on Monday to consider delegating some of its authority to district administrations in a bid to improve public services.

Speaking in front of 29 governors, 234 regents and five mayors during their national meeting on district empowerment at the State Palace, Megawati said that districts were the focal points in improving the quality of public services.

"We really have to consider the possibility of speeding up public services for the people and our bureaucracy should find better ways to empower the people," Megawati said in her opening speech.

Monday's statement contradicted her previous comments saying that regional autonomy laws needed to be amended as heads of regental and mayoral administrations were acting like little kings.

The House of Representatives is currently deliberating upon some revisions to Law No. 22/1999 on regional administrations, which calls for some of the authority previously given to regional administrations to be withdrawn.

Megawati said on Monday that district administrations were "the government's hands that touch the people's daily lives".

"With regional autonomy, the implementation of the central government's policies depends on the capability of district administrations," she added.

As the current autonomy was implemented at the regency level, Megawati appeared consistent with her wish to reduce the power of regental administrations by giving some of their authority to district administrations, which in most cases are subordinate to the regency administration.

The program was implemented two years ago, and in the first year some Rp 783 billion of funds were doled out to provide aid for poverty eradication programs.

The grant is partly funded by the State Budget and provincial budget.

Minister for Home Affairs Hari Sabarno said the government had disbursed some Rp 95.5 billion to 1,149 districts across the country in the second year of the program.

"We hope the grant will improve people's lives," he said, adding that cooperation from the private sector was important to make the program a success.

He said that some of government's money for district administrations had been handed over directly by the President during her working visits across the country in recent months.

Megawati is seeking to win reelection in the coming Sept. 20 presidential ballot, and has been touring the country to meet as many constituents as possible.