Most regions support review to Autonomy Law
Ridwan Max Sijabat, Jakarta
Most regional governments have thrown their weight behind the revision of two laws on regional autonomy for the sake of national unity and economic parity among them.
Of 448 regents and mayors attending a meeting with 30 governors here on Monday, the majority expressed support for the revision, which is being deliberated at the House of Representatives.
"Only four resource-rich regencies oppose the revision, because they fear that their annual income from the exploration of their rich natural resources may be reduced," East Sumba Regent Umbu Mehang Kunda told The Jakarta Post on the sidelines of the meeting.
The House is deliberating the revision of Law No. 22/1999 on regional government and Law No. 25/1999 on fiscal balance between the central and local governments. The two laws came into effect only four years ago after a one-year delay.
Kunda said Kutai Kartanegara in East Kalimantan, Natuna in Riau and two other regencies rich with natural resources in Riau and Kalimantan challenged the planned revision.
"The current laws enrich the already wealthy regencies while the poor will remain poor because the national income is not distributed evenly among provinces and regencies," he said.
A village in mineral rich Kutai has received Rp 2 billion (US$217,390) from the regency's annual budget over the last four years, the equivalent of East Sumba regency's annual budget.
"The concept of the unitary state is not relevant unless the disparity among the regions is eradicated," Kunda said.
Batam regent Nyat Kadir agreed, saying the authority given to regions in dealing with their internal affairs needed tighter supervision to avoid power abuses among regional government heads, conflict among local elite groups and conflict of interests among regions.
"Frankly speaking, corruption has been rampant among local elite groups because of the lack of supervision from the central government and governors, and the power abuse has a lot to do with the incorrect perception and inaccurate implementation of the regional autonomy," he said.
Batam, which borders Malaysia and Singapore, is home to around 1,500 domestic and foreign companies and a popular tourist destination.
Kadir lauded the bill revising the Autonomy Law that stipulates a direct election of regional heads but requires regents and mayors to be accountable to governors and the president.
The House's draft focuses on direct election of governors, regents and mayors while the government's draft proposes more revisions to the central government's role in supervision and education, appointment of local high-ranking officials and a fairer distribution of autonomy funds.
The House's draft also requires provincial and regental legislatures to wait for court verdicts before they propose the dismissal of regional heads to the president.
The revision bills have met with opposition from the Regency Administrations' Association (Apkasi), which has accused the government of reclaiming the power it had given to regents and municipalities under the Autonomy Law.
Home minister Hari Sabarno has recently denied the allegation, saying the revision was aimed at minimizing conflicts and political chaos.
"Many local elite groups have abused their power under autonomy to enrich themselves by extorting investors, imposing illegal fees on people and selling trees in protected forests to investors. Such power abuses must be halted," the minister said recently.
He said representatives of both rich and poor regencies were involved in preparing the bills to revise the laws.