Plan to revise regional autonomy law critized
Plan to revise regional autonomy law critized
Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Former regional autonomy minister Ryaas Rasyid criticized on
Wednesday the plan to revise the regional autonomy law, which has
been in force since earlier this year, arguing that such a
revision was not necessary.
"What we need now is not a revision, but rather support, in
the form of government regulations and presidential decrees,"
Ryaas said at a conference on constitutional review.
Ryaas said that the underlying problem was that the government
was not ready to issue the hundreds of supporting regulations
badly needed for the implementation of the regional autonomy law.
The government is currently revising the law on regional
autonomy in a move to reduce regency administrations' control
over natural and financial resources.
Former minister of home affairs and regional autonomy Surjadi
Soedirdja said earlier that amendment of the law was needed as
part of the government's efforts to "support local growth without
sacrificing national unity."
Surjadi said that the law contained regulations that allowed
regional administrations to become overly independent to a point
that threatened to cause national disintegration.
"Such a problem would not occur if the government were ready
with supporting regulations," Ryaas said at the conference
organized by the Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance
(IDEA).
Ryaas cited as an example that the government could issue a
regulation authorizing governors to directly supervise the
activities of mayors and regents.
Ryaas, who was the main person responsible for drafting the
regional autonomy law, said that the revision showed
unpreparedness on the part of central government to hand over
parts of its authority to regional administrations.
He explained that he frequently became the target of criticism
by his fellow ministers who were not happy with his ideas when he
was the regional autonomy minister.
"Of course they were not happy with my ideas because if they
were implemented, they would lose some of their authority.
Therefore I used to be branded a source of conflict by former
president Abdurrahman Wahid," said Ryaas.