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.