Opposition grows against Autonomy Law review

Opposition grows against Autonomy Law review

Ainur A. Sophiaan, The Jakarta Post, Surabaya

The incomplete implementation of regional autonomy and the
widespread misunderstanding about the autonomy law have begun to
raise new conflicts between the central government and provincial
and regional governments.

While the central government was deliberating the proposed
amendment of the regional autonomy law with the House of
Representatives on Monday, the East Java Provincial Legislative
Council also agreed to oppose the government's proposed
amendment.

The provincial legislature leadership in their meeting in
Surabaya on Monday ruled out the proposed amendment as an attempt
by the central government to retrieve the power it gave to
provinces, regencies and municipalities under the law since Jan.
1, 2001.

They were of the same opinion that all matters proposed to be
amended in the law were aimed at pushing the nation back to the
old-fashioned centralized administration system that has proven
ineffective in improving the people's welfare and developing
democracy.

The crucial issue that has raised confusion among the
legislature leadership was Article 38 of the proposed bill on
elections of governors, regents and mayors that will be conducted
by an independent commission whose members would be recruited
from the General Election Commission (KPU) and local community
leaders, instead of provincial and regency legislatures.

"With the proposed amendment to the article, the central
government is trying to reduce the legislatures's authority and,
therefore, to kill democracy in the regions," Fathor Rasjid,
chairman of the National Awakening Party (PKB) faction, said in
the meeting.

He warned that the provincial and regency legislatures
represented the people in the regions.

Minister of Home Affairs Hari Sabarno insisted that the
amendment of the two laws on regional autonomy and on fiscal
balance were aimed at preventing the unitary state from
developing into federal states.

He said only conflicting and confusing articles would be
amended. He cited Article 7 of the regional autonomy law because
it stipulates that regencies and mayoralties have authority in
all fields with the exception of defense, foreign affairs,
monetary and court affairs.

Hari also said the central government was reviewing hundreds
of local bylaws which were in contradiction to the two laws.
"Such bylaws have been made by the regions because of
misinterpretation of the laws," he said.

Besides causing misinterpretations, the implementation of
regional autonomy has also raised a number of territorial
disputes between the regions and the central government and among
provinces and regencies.

Surabaya Mayor Sunarto Sumaprawiro's dismissal on Jan. 16,
2002 has raised strong controversy with the central government
ruling against it.

Masjkur Hasyim, chairman of the joint faction, said many
regions have misinterpreted the laws because the central
government had not yet issued other related laws and numerous
regulations to implement regional autonomy.

"The minister should not blame the regions for the
misinterpretations but its own department that has failed to make
more regulations to enforce the two laws," he said, adding that
so far, the central government has issued only around 40 of more
than 110 government regulations needed to implement the autonomy.

Hasyim warned that the Association of Regency and City
Legislatures (Adeksi) was lobbying all its members to oppose the
proposed amendments to the two laws.