Opposition grows against revision of autonomy law

Annastashya Emmanuelle and Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The government's controversial plan to revise Law No. 22/1999 on Regional Administration met a new challenge on Tuesday when the National Awakening Party's legislative faction said it would oppose any move to revise the Autonomy Law that took effect in January 2001.

"We must join hands in rejecting the revision move to allow regional administrations to implement the law," legislator with the National Awakening Party (PKB) Effendi Choirie said at a meeting with leaders of the regional administration offices (Apkasi) and legislative councils (Adeksi) in the House of Representatives (DPR) here.

PKB became the second big party that has come out openly rejecting President Megawati Soekarnoputri's move to revise the Autonomy Law after Golkar said earlier this month that it would reject any government plan before a thorough evaluation was carried out on its implementation. Golkar and PKB have over 170 representatives combined in the DPR.

Once a close ally of Megawati, PKB's relations with her Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) deteriorated after the latter actively supported the People's Consultative Assembly's Special Session that effectively ousted former president Abdurrahman Wahid in July 2001. Abdurrahman is PKB's founder and chief patron.

Meanwhile, PDI Perjuangan Secretary General Sutjipto maintained on Tuesday that the revision was necessary.

"There are many aspects in the Autonomy Law that need to be perfected. However, that does not mean that we intend to drop the spirit of proceeding with regional autonomy," Sutjipto said after the party's weekly meeting here. He did not elaborate.

Megawati, who has been accused of trying to derail the decentralization process, insisted earlier that the revision was needed as there were several fundamental problems with the very concept of autonomy in its current form. The problems, she said, were related to the country's "statehood and nationhood".

Adeksi, which claims to have the backing of 68 districts, insisted on Tuesday that there was no problem with the implementation of the Autonomy Law, and therefore the revision was not warranted.

Adeksi Chairman Ali Hanafiah suggested that the government should provide guidelines for the implementation of the law instead of trying to revise it.

Earlier, Minister of Home Affairs Hari Sabarno revealed that the revision plan had been discussed at a cabinet meeting on Jan. 23. He also said that Adeksi had approved the revision plan mainly aimed at creating harmonious relations between Jakarta and regional administrations.

But PKB legislator Susono Yusuf said on Tuesday that the revision was designed to control the strengthening position of the regional administrations vis-a-vis the central administration.

Susono said he had met with Sabarno to discuss the proposal and the minister admitted that the revision was designed to control regional administrations.

"The existing Autonomy Law gives the regional administrations superiority, therefore revision is needed," Susono quoted Sabarno as saying.

The revision plan goes back to an MPR decree No.IV/MPR/2000 mandating the government to make preparations for the revisions of Law No.22/1999 on Regional Administration and Law No.25/1999 on Balanced Finance.