Power to the regions?

The last thing Indonesia needs now is another excuse for more corruption and abuse of public office, and the new regional autonomy policy launched on New Year's Day is in danger of becoming that excuse. Even months prior to its launch, reports streamed in about regional officials turning the new policy into a vehicle to fill up their own personal coffers.

A regent in East Kalimantan, for instance, was found to have parceled out its forests to the highest bidders; an action that environmentalists called a "misdeed", however, became on New Year's day a legal deed as the new policy stipulates the authority to issue "minor" concession rights to regional administrations.

This is only one example of a long list of feared excesses of the Law No. 22/1999 on regional administration and Law No. 25/1999 on fiscal balance. Another example was the demand by a group of fishermen in Central Java for a ban against fishing by people from neighboring areas in what they claimed was their territory.

Envisioned by a small group of people -- most notably Ryaas Rasyid who later became President Abdurrahman Wahid's state minister of regional autonomy -- as the answer to the evils of the heavily centralized regimes of the past, the regional autonomy policy promises lofty ideals.

It is expected to not only bring the government closer to the public in order that the delivery of services and goods can be improved, but it is also considered the means to democratize the government. It is also expected to allay the threats of disintegration looming over the archipelago and promises to empower people in their choices of how they want to develop their own potentials.

But since the inception of the laws, scholars and laymen alike have come up with objection after objection against the policy, the main fear being that greater powers for regional officials would mean more opportunities for corruption and the abuse of office.

Another often cited concern is that the autonomy policy would stoke antipluralist sentiments; reports of examples have surfaced including the demands of groups of people to have only putra daerah (native sons) as regional officials. Another concern is the poor legal preparations as a number of existing laws and regulations have yet to be amended in accordance with the new policy.

Ryaas, who since the August Cabinet reshuffle has been nudged out of any position to influence the implementation of the new policy, has dismissed the objections as "stupid rhetoric." Ryaas, who has hinted of his imminent resignation, was particularly bitter about how the central government is going about implementing the policy (President Abdurrahman has refused to establish a powerful autonomy supervisory board and, instead, opted for a lower-level directorate general). He was adamant that the autonomy policy must be implemented at all costs, but predicted chaos would greet it.

While regional autonomy can indeed lead to greater democratization in this country, it would be wrong or even futile to dismiss the concerns of the doomsayers.

Not only were the policies conceived hastily by the administration of B.J. Habibie -- anxious to ride the powerful coattail of the reform movement -- to display a commitment to public demand, but they have also gone too long without proper introduction. By August, only one set of directives (Government Regulation No. 25/2000) had been issued. Furthermore, only days before the Jan. 1 launching did Director General of Regional Administration and Regional Autonomy, Sudarsono, admit to having hastily produced another 15 much-needed set of guidelines during the September-December period. Nothing has been said over whether the 400 regents and mayors across the country have been fully briefed about the new directives and their implications, even though a number of them have confessed to being baffled by Laws 22 and 25 because there was not enough time to study them.

What is lacking in legal infrastructure can be compensated, at least for the time it is needed to carefully produce and disseminate the legislation, by a strong leadership in order that each element involved in the implementation will be able to work for the good of all. Unfortunately, the current administration has time and again shown to be lacking in that department.

The success of the regional autonomy policy, the realization of its lofty ideals, including greater democracy, must ultimately depend upon the ability of local administrations to exercise self restraint against the temptation to abuse their newly acquired power.