Seribu Islands' regency inauguration delayed

JAKARTA (JP): Governor Sutiyoso finally bowed on Monday to City Council pressure to postpone the inauguration of the Seribu (Thousand) Islands as a new regency for "administrative reasons".

"I've decided to delay the inauguration because some administrative aspects have yet to be cleared up," Sutiyoso told reporters.

The inauguration ceremony was scheduled to take place on Pramuka island on Tuesday.

On that day, Sutiyoso was slated to install M. Rahardjo, currently head of the city's fisheries agency, as the new regency's first regent.

The Seribu Islands, located in Jakarta Bay to the north of the city, are known as popular holiday resorts. But they are also facing serious environmental damage and many other problems, including harmful development, especially as some of the most attractive islands are privately owned by conglomerates.

Earlier on Monday, council chairman Edy Waluyo called on the administration to postpone the inauguration of the new regency as two draft regulations on the islands had yet to be passed as bylaws.

"How could Sutiyoso inaugurate the regency if the bylaws have yet to be approved?" Edy told reporters at City Hall.

He said the bylaws would transform the status of the Seribu Islands, which is now a district, into a regency consisting of two districts.

City Council members were surprised to receive invitations to the inauguration of the regency on Thursday.

"I read the invitation this morning. I won't attend the inauguration (if the administration insists on holding the ceremony on Tuesday)," Edy said.

This was the second setback for the inauguration of the islands as a regency, which had earlier been scheduled for June.

Several councillors from the council's commission B for development affairs also questioned the suitability of the regent designate.

"Rahardjo didn't do anything special as head of the fisheries agency," councillor Dani Anwar of the Justice Party said on Tuesday.

Dani criticized the governor for planning to install Rahardjo as regent without consulting the council, saying this was a violation of Law No. 34/1999 on city administration.

Sutiyoso had earlier said he would go ahead with the inauguration of the regency and the installation of the regent as all the preparations for the ceremony had already been made.

But on another occasion when asked about the regent designate, Sutiyoso said he had forgotten his name.

City spokesman Muhayat said that according to Article 15 of the law, the city only needed the council leadership's approval for the installation of the regent.

"I've heard that some factions wanted the candidates for the regent's post be discussed with them first before they approved one of them," Muhayat said.

He also claimed that the inauguration of the regency should not wait for the bylaws since the regency had been legally established through the issuance of Government Regulation No. 55/2001 (PP), dated July 3, on the Seribu Islands regency.

The regency, which consists of about 110 large and small islands and is currently home to about 17,000 people, will have two districts and six subdistricts.

Tangerang regency had earlier claimed nine of the islands, located only four miles away from the Tangerang coastline: Rambut, Karang, Laki, Cangkir, Bokor, Karang Tiga, Gosong, Untung Jawa and Ubi Kecil. But the claim was rejected by Sutiyoso.

The Seribu Islands have a total area of 69,976 square kilometers of which 9,214 square kilometers, or 13 percent, is land, while the remainder is water. (jun/07)