Ministry told to cede power

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regional administrations to be withdrawn.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.