Most regions still confused over autonomy

Most regions still confused over autonomy

JAKARTA (JP): Confusion rules the roost in the country's
sprawling regions following the inception of autonomy on Jan. 1
due to the absence of technical rulings governing the exercise of
authority in certain autonomous sectors, the Forum of Regional
Representatives (FUD) has concluded.

FUD chairman Oesman Sapta said the slip-up has discouraged
both provinces and regencies from taking the initiative in
reorganizing their respective administrative structures and
issuing the necessary rulings for the exercise of the new powers.

"Most provinces and regencies are eager to run an autonomous
administration in certain sectors but are still confused over how
to do it," he told The Jakarta Post in a telephone interview from
Pontianak, East Kalimantan, on Saturday.

Quoting reports from FUD members in the provinces, Oesman said
that no basic changes had taken place in the provincial and
regency administration offices.

"So far, no governors, regents or mayors have issued
instructions to their subordinates or designed development
programs and action plans either to improve their services to the
public or to uphold democracy," he said.

Improvement in public services and democratic life, he said,
were two main indicators to measure whether autonomy was running
well or not.

Oesman, also a regional representative from West Kalimantan in
the People's Consultative Assembly, said the central government
has to issue a regulation to transfer its authority to governors
who according to the autonomy law represented it in the
provinces.

"A government regulation on deconcentration is much needed to
regulate the authority the central government hands over to the
provinces and the latter's competence to handle cross-regency
administrative matters," he asserted.

He said the central government must also issue many more
presidential decrees on general and technical guidelines for
regencies and mayoralties to assist them in applying autonomy in
certain sectors.

"The President must issue decrees on autonomous regency
administration in eleven sectors -- public works, health,
education and culture, agriculture, transportation, industry and
trade, investment, environment, agrarian affairs, cooperatives
and manpower," he said.

If the regulation and presidential decrees were issued,
provincial and regency administrations would have authority to
draft local regulations, development programs and action plans in
these eleven sectors, he said.

He emphasized that regional autonomy was not aimed at
decentralizing and distributing the central government's
authority to the provinces and regencies but rather improving the
government's services to the public and empowering the people in
all fields of life.

"With regional autonomy, provincial and regency
administrations therefore should not follow 'the spirit of
taxing' that will certainly overburden people, but rather improve
their services to the public," he said.

Jimmi Mohammad Ibrahim, former chairman of the West Kalimantan
legislative council, concurred and said the provincial and
regency administrations in the province have yet to be prepared
to fully implement autonomy because of the absence of several
government regulations and technical guidelines.

"So far, no significant progress has been made in their
preparations for the full implementation of autonomy," he said.

Up to now, many local administrations have failed to draft a
priority list of development programs, citing their unfinished
deliberation of their respective 2001 draft budgets.

Jimmi said local administrations should take the initiative in
drafting general and technical guidelines and draft regulations
on their authority in implementing autonomy in the eleven
sectors.

"A local administration for example could deregulate the trade
and industry sector to empower local small and medium
enterprises," he said.

In Makassar, South Sulawesi Governor HZB Palaguna said one key
element to the success of regional autonomy, especially in these
early stages was adequate funds.

He said the current Rp 232.99 billion from the General
Allocation Fund (DAU) to the province is only enough to cover for
the province's routine expenditures.

"In the wake of regional autonomy we need more funds...and we
hope that the central government can give an additional budget,"
Palaguna said on Saturday.

Several regencies also complained of the small amount of funds
allocated to them.

"Besides the problem of insufficient funds, we also lack
regulations on the actual implementation of autonomy. We have to
be creative to earn revenue," Makassar mayor HB Amiruddin said.

He cited several disputes, such as the salary system for civil
servants working in the regions.

In East Java, all 37 regencies and mayoralties here said that
they are "muddling through the process" in running regional
autonomy.

"Some 350,000 civil servants are being transferred to the
regions across East Java. We are now in the process of sorting
regulations and preparing new rules since there is no clear
guidance from the central government," East Java regional
secretary Soenarjo said.

He also added that his office is working on a list of the
newly assigned civil servants and their duties.

"There are many positions that are vacant and we need to place
the right people in the right post and it's a very complicated
matter," he said.

The local administrative bureaus in East Java is being cut
from 13 to 11, while the number of agencies has ballooned from 14
to 21.(27/nur/edt/rms)