Regional autonomy program will boost democracy: Rudini
Regional autonomy program will boost democracy: Rudini
SEMARANG (JP): The current drive for greater regional autonomy
will not only check the public's negative views of the
centralistic administration of the government, but also
strengthen democratization, a political observer says.
Former home minister Rudini said in a seminar on Tuesday that
demands for greater regional autonomy are a reaction against the
increasingly unpopular centralistic administration.
"The public's dislike of the undemocratic centralism creates
negative views about the government," said the retired Army
general who now heads the Institute for Strategic Studies of
Indonesia.
"This is despite the fact that not all countries have
governments which adhere to (the concept of) centralism," he
said.
The United States, which is a federal state, grants full
autonomy to individual states, but the former Soviet Union,
another federal nation, was very centralistic.
"When the rush for globalization set in, centralism started to
fold up," he said. "Russia and other former Soviet Union states
have to struggle to adjust to a new, more democratic environment
which gives people greater say in the running of the country."
The Indonesian government launched a trial of the regional
autonomy project in 26 selected regencies last May. The project's
aim is to give regency governments greater authority in managing
their internal affairs.
Other speakers at the seminar held by the Diponegoro
University's School of Social and Political Sciences included
Sumitro Maskun, the director general in charge of regional
autonomy at the Ministry of Home Affairs, and Benyamin Hossein, a
staff lecturer at the University of Indonesia.
Rudini said the quest for greater regional autonomy cannot be
separated from that of democratization, which requires greater
public participation in all decision making processes.
"The most important feature of the project for greater
regional autonomy is that the essence of democracy, which is
people's sovereignty in all aspects of life, will develop
better," he said.
Ever since the inception of the republic, Indonesians have
been encouraged to stay away from centralism and centralistic
administration, he recalled.
"Even President Soeharto has reminded us all that centralism
has no place in our future government system," Rudini said.
"This drive for greater autonomy is a real thing. It's not
merely a political slogan," he insisted. (har/swe)