Regional administration bill expected to be passed sonn
Regional administration bill expected to be passed sonn
JAKARTA (JP): Legislators deliberating the bill on regional
administration gave assurances on Tuesday that the much
criticized draft submitted by the government would be democratic.
Presidential approval for a gubernatorial candidate would no
longer be needed -- only "consultation", legislators said.
The legislators were members of the Special Committee of the
House of Representatives deliberating the bill, which wrapped up
on Tuesday its public deliberation session of the bill.
But committee chairman Chairuddin Harahap of the Golkar
faction assured members of the public that they were still
welcome to submit recommendations before the bill was passed on
April 22. He also voiced regret over the lack of media coverage
of the bill's debate.
Chairuddin and Alfian Darmawan of the United Development Party
(PPP) faction said the bill -- together with the bill on the
fiscal balances of central government and regional governments --
would have wide-ranging consequences to democratization once
passed.
Both legislators said that a major consequence of the bill
would be a central government administration made smaller in the
number of its ministries and that regencies would become the new
center of development.
Describing the past deliberation session in the 87-member
committee, Chairuddin and Alfian said it had run smoothly.
They said the remaining problem would be the "synchronization"
of the bill with the fiscal balances bill, in which debates are
still hot over stipulations on how much share of the state budget
would be allotted to regional administrations.
The new bills on regional autonomy and fiscal balance seek to
redress impacts over years of centralization. One of the impacts
is the demand for independence in a number of provinces.
A low share of the state budget in resource-rich areas,
government meddling in regional affairs such as the appointment
of officials favored by those in power, worsened by rights abuses
by the military contributed to built-up resentment in various
regions.
"There'll a tough debate coming," Alfian said, adding there
would be clashes of central government aspirations and those of
the regional governments.
One issue would be "whether we will use percentage (of how
much share of funding one province would get) or other parameters
to determine it", Chairuddin said.
Common ground
On the issue of regional administration autonomy, Chairuddin
said the committee and the government -- represented by home
ministry officials -- had reached some common ground.
For instance, unlike existing law no. 5/1974 on government
administration which entitles the central government via the
minister of home affairs to appoint a regent or a mayor to a
regency or a mayoralty -- the bill will allow the process to be
conducted only by a regency's legislature.
"Without intervention of the central government," Chairuddin
asserted.
Under the 1945 Constitution, a provincial administration would
remain the local representation of the central government,
Chairuddin added.
"But it has been agreed that the governor will be appointed by
the provincial legislature ... with consultation with the
President," he also said.
Critics have said a number of clauses in the bill reflect
similar tendencies of government meddling in regional affairs,
such as, among other things, through a requirement that
candidates for governor needed approval from the central
government.
Alfian also cited another agreement reached during the bill
deliberation with the government, authorizing villages across the
archipelago to retain their own characteristics of village
administration. The existing law calls for a uniformed
administration at the village level among diverse communities.
A recent congress of indigenous people discussed problems
caused by the side-stepping of traditional power structures with
the installment of such uniform village administrations.
Alfian underscored wide-ranging regional autonomy, which he
said was basically targeted at empowering regency's
administrations.
"But the autonomy given must be accompanied by a bigger share
of funding from Jakarta," he said.
Chairuddin said eight governors and eight regents and
officials of regional revenue agencies were among sources which
had given input to the deliberation.
In the coming days until April 13, two of the committee's
working groups -- one working with the finance ministry and the
other with the home affairs ministry -- will be holding closed
deliberations. (aan)