Regional police chiefs 'to answer to governors'

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.