Riau Islands still have long wait: Hari

Riau Islands still have long wait: Hari

Debbie A. Lubis, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Minister of Home Affairs Hari Sabarno said on Wednesday that
establishment of the Riau Islands province had been postponed
because the bill needed further revision to help develop the Riau
Islands regency into a new province.

"We do not reject the idea but there are some steps and
requirements for the regency to be converted into an autonomous
and definitive province. That's why we need to guide them through
the revised transitional provisions, chapters, and articles in
the bill," Hari said.

A plenary meeting of the House of Representatives (DPR)
unexpectedly delayed last Friday the establishment of the
province of Riau Islands, despite unanimous support shown earlier
by all nine factions in the legislative body.

The minister said that it might take three years to five years
for the regency to make the necessary preparations.

He cited that lack of support from Riau's provincial
legislature and administration was the greatest hurdle for the
Riau Islands regency to overcome to realize its dream.

"The regency's revenue is estimated to reach Rp 82 billion
(US$9.1 million) per year while it usually receives some Rp 500
billion from Riau's budget," Hari said, while adding that the
lack of financial resources would make it difficult for this
prospective province to develop its regencies.

Hari said that the regency was still debating whether to
choose Batam or Tanjung Pinang as its capital and had yet to
obtain the approval to include Natuna island in the new province.

"The regency should set a time frame for getting approval for
Natuna and it should learn from the experience of the three newly
established provinces: Gorontalo, Banten, and Bangka Belitung,"
he said.

The minister said that Tanjung Pinang had yet to have its own
legislative council.

"I agree that the regency has the potential to be developed
into a new province, but this cannot happen instantly. I'm sure
it will become a province after some preparation," he said.

He added that it was the House of Representatives that should
schedule the agenda for the bill's revision. "The government is
only awaiting its invitation because that is its prerogative," he
said.

Hari said that people of Riau Islands should influence the
local legislative council, Natuna island and the Riau provincial
administration to give their support for the planned
establishment of the new province.

"The process should be a bottom-up one. In such a
decentralized era, local problems should be settled at regional,
not national level," he said.

Hari reminded that the people of Riau Islands should not
resort to anarchy in fighting for their goals since that could
scare away potential investors.