Regional police chiefs 'to answer to governors'

JAKARTA (JP): President B.J. Habibie promised on Saturday the newly enacted laws on regional autonomy would enable regional police chiefs to be appointed by provincial legislative councils, and answerable to governors.

In addition, the National Police would now answer to the president, with the budget formulated by the Ministry of Home Affairs, he told a working meeting of governors, district heads, and mayors from across the country at Bina Graha presidential office.

Habibie said that over time, police uniforms would no longer be the same throughout the territory, but would be determined by the regional administrations and their legislative councils.

He told Antara the military's responsibility would be to protect the country's sovereignty with regards to territories.

At the meeting Habibie also said a centralistic government with rigid centralization planning had sparked the creation of an authoritarian attitude during the 32-year New Order regime.

"Those conditions were the beginning of a failure to build a democratic life. Democracy was systematically silenced over a long period of time... it needs a meaningful correction."

Habibie said the enactments of Law No 22/1999 on regional government and Law No 25/1999 on budgetary balance between the central and regional governments had led to increased autonomy for the provincial administrations.

He said centralization created responsibilities for the executive and legislative channels, while decentralization encouraged the creativity of regional governments to deal with their own problems and to develop their own people.

He said the move would, however, also create its own problems, with the development of a competitive climate between provincial, district and municipal governments.

"Different conditions in various regions will be able to create a new gap," Habibie said.