Regional autonomy misinterpretated

Regional autonomy misinterpretated

Panca Nugraha
The Jakarta Post
Mataram

Minister of Manpower and Transmigration Jacob Nuwa Wea said on
Tuesday that it was too early to implement the Law on regional
autonomy at the regency level, and it was causing
misinterpretation in places.

"The misinterpretation has apparently affected manpower. There
is discrimination in many regencies where they employed locals.
Fees have been imposed on workers or employees from other
regencies," said Nuwa Wea.

"Regional autonomy has been misunderstood. The Law on regional
autonomy was made within the frame of the unitary state of
Indonesia. Workers from West Nusa Tenggara can work in Irian Jaya
or other areas," he said after attending the Muhammadiyah's
second national congress at Lombok Raya Hotel in Mataram, West
Nusa Tenggara on Tuesday.

"Discrimination happens because each regency or mayoralty has
its own interpretation of regional autonomy," he said.

"Its misinterpretation is also happening in the Ministry of
Manpower and Transmigration. The names at the ministry's office
vary in some regencies," he said.

He said that regulations and rulings on manpower in all parts
of the country must be the same. "Indonesia ratified some
international laws (related with manpower), therefore, we must
impose similar laws in all parts of the country."

Nuwa Wea said regional autonomy ideally started with the
provinces first, meaning that its familiarization would take
longer.

Months before the law was put into effect on Jan. 1 of this
year, the central government had launched a campaign to introduce
regional autonomy programs to the provinces. Regents and mayors
joined the campaign.

Speaking on transmigration programs, Nuwa Wea said that land-
related problems were the main constraint.

"In the past, transmigration was just moving people from a
densely populated area to other more spacious areas, ignoring the
fact that many locals had not yet received compensation for their
land acquired for transmigration sites," he cited. "Now many
landowners are demanding compensation."

"The compensation must be paid before resettlement programs
continue," he said.