Regional autonomy policy not on track: Ryaas

JAKARTA (JP): Ryaas Rasyid, former state minister of regional autonomy affairs, criticized the poor and improper implementation of regional autonomy, saying it could jeopardize the nation.

He said there were numerous indications to suggest that the Ministry of Home Affairs and Regional Autonomy did not effectively make the implementation of regional autonomy a success.

"The ministry has closed its eyes to numerous serious problems that have risen to the surface following the implementation of regional autonomy last January," he said, during a pause in the deliberation of the bill on Papuan special autonomy in the House of Representatives here on Saturday.

According to him, most officials at the Ministry are not professional and do not have a good understanding of the concept of regional autonomy so that its implementation has raised numerous problems in the regions.

"The ministry failed to make the necessary regulations and presidential decrees to enforce the laws on regional autonomy and on the fiscal balance and to function well as a bridge between the central government and the regions.

"For example, the ministry has closed its eyes to the rampant extortion of national and multinational corporations in the regions and the issuance by local administrations of numerous regulations that are against the laws on regional autonomy and on fiscal balance," he said.

He warned that the inconsistent and poor implementation of regional autonomy could trigger serious problems that could threaten the unitary state.

"And Indonesia will collapse if regional autonomy fails," he said.

Asked to comment on the next Cabinet, Ryaas said he would never beg for a position or a ministerial job in President Megawati Soekarnoputri's government.

"I now have a lot of work besides my daily task to teach both at the State Institute of Public Administration (IIP) and overseas," he said, adding that he would go to the United States this August to conduct research to write a book on public administration in Indonesia.

He further added that Megawati should return the government and its bureaucracy to its original track to help the nation defuse the crisis immediately.

According to him, the President should recruit professionals, either from political parties and higher learning institutions, to help her run her government and the civil service.

He warned that the new government would fail to advance, especially in the economic field, if Megawati's coalition Cabinet was filled by unprofessional politicians. (rms)