Socializing federal state
Socializing federal state
From Pikiran Rakyat
I was impressed by the article in Pikiran Rakyat on Nov. 10,
1999, entitled The Concept of a Federal State and Amien Rais'
performance, and would like to add some comments.
First of all, I am very sad to learn of the controversy
surrounding whether we have to retain the existence of a unitary
state or consider the establishment of a federal state. More
extreme still is the fact that there are some regions who wish to
separate from Indonesia and become independent.
As a matter of fact, the people on the street are not really
too concerned about the issue. What matters to them is how to
make life today better than yesterday. In other words, they want
to be able to buy daily necessities at reasonable prices, get
appropriate health care and send their kids to school without
being burdened by all sorts of levies etc. Also they want the
supremacy of the law implemented and the end of human rights
violations.
To change a unitary state into a federal one is not as easy as
turning the palm of one's hand. Australia, for example, took 35
years before it finally decided to become a federal state that
closely resembled the federal system of the United States. A
desultory debate (beginning at the turn of the 19th century) went
on for 20 years. Then it was followed by a referendum, in which
the supporters of a federal state were victorious. The result was
enacted by the British Parliament on Jan. 1, 1901, and only in
1915 did the country became a federal state.
To establish a federal state takes time. It seems that it has
become an accepted trend for all of us to take hasty steps,
believing that all problems can be settled in a single wink of
the eye. In fact, long, detailed and careful preparations should
be made before we decide to establish a federal state. The
following steps might be worth considering.
1. Hold a transparent debate/discussion/seminar on the topic
to give the people plenty of time to think about the virtues and
vices of the matter until the best result is produced.
2. Hold a national referendum, say in 2010, on the choice
between a unitary state and a federal state.
3. If the latter is the people's choice, it should be
legalized by a decree of the People's Consultative Assembly and a
date should be set as to when the system will take effect. Much
has yet to be addressed, e.g. preparation of the related laws,
human resources and so on. Then the implementation of the federal
state might be completed by 2015.
It should also be realized that to establish a federal state
the central government must be strong and solid, and there should
be a guarantee that free trade between states can be conducted.
SALMING UMAR
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