Regional autonomy still shuns public: Survey

Arya Abhiseka, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

After three years of implementation, regional autonomy remains a distant ideal as it has failed to ensure a balance of power between the local governments and the stakeholders, according to a recent study.

In its Rapid Decentralization Appraisal (IRDA) study, the Asia Foundation highlighted the problem of limited public participation in the policy-making process and its monitoring, thus hampering the public accountability of local governments.

The program was supported by the US Agency for International Development (USAID).

Jon Lindborg, acting USAID mission director, said during the IRDA presentation here on Wednesday that regional autonomy had placed Indonesia at the center of a process of change replete with huge challenges, particularly regarding the country's readiness to provide better services and accommodate public participation.

"Has each individual's voice been accommodated? This is necessary as we believe that all politics start locally," he said.

IRDA revealed that public participation in policy-making in all regions remained low, with the public often becoming spectators in the democratic process.

During the process of policy-making, public opinion has often been regarded as a discourse in response to the policy, without any power to affect the process, the report said.

The public have more often utilized informal channels such as dialogs, public hearings and letters of complaint in the mass media to express support or opposition to a certain policy.

However, local governments often prefer formal mechanisms for promoting public participation through institutional discussions or plenary meeting, events that have failed to attract the interest of the public.

The problem, the survey said, resulted mainly from different perceptions among policy makers and the public on the role of public monitoring in bylaw implementation.

This is evident in some areas where local officials assume that public participation is not binding and will only be heeded if necessary.

One of a few good examples is the case of Sumbawa in East Nusa Tenggara, where the regional legislature has taken the initiative of inviting public participation in drafting of its bylaws.

In 2002, the Sumbawa legislature endorsed a bylaw on forestry by involving participation from the public, non-governmental organizations and labor organizations.

The IRDA program proposed several recommendations to boost public participation in policy-making and monitoring in local administrations.

It suggested that local governments actively and intensively hold dialogs with the stakeholders to build common perceptions on accountability and public participation in policy-making.

Public awareness of the significance of participation in a democratic government is also needed to ensure effective local development.

The findings of the study will submitted by the Asia Foundation to all local decision makers, according to Hana A. Satriyo, the foundation's senior program officer.