Soeharto promises more local autonomy
JAKARTA (JP): The government pledged yesterday to continue its campaign to delegate more authority to regency administrations, despite fears of national disintegration.
President Soeharto made this clear while opening a seminar on regional autonomy at the State Palace.
He said that local authorities had to have more say in their development affairs because they dealt directly with people. This would allow Jakarta to concentrate on strategic affairs.
He brushed aside fears that greater autonomy would lead to disintegration, saying that the nation had reached a high level of resilience.
"The state (central government) will oversee the sectors of political, economic, diplomatic and defense-security affairs," Soeharto told the 300 participants at the seminar.
The seminar was organized by the alumni of the National Resilience Institute, a military think tank.
The government launched a trial run in April 1995 for greater regional autonomy in 26 selected regencies, including Sorong in Irian Jaya and Aileu in East Timor, giving them a greater say in their internal affairs.
Under the program, most of regional matters previously handled by the central government have been delegated to the 26 regencies.
Indonesia comprises 27 provinces, 243 regencies and 77 mayoralties.
Critics said the government has been slow to encourage autonomy. Indonesia passed a law on regional autonomy in 1974.
Local officials have complained that some ministries are reluctant to share their power with regency administrations.
Some ministries feared that regency administrations would have too much independence once they obtained autonomy, critics said.
"Larger and realistic autonomy is the right choice to maximize Indonesia's natural and human resources," Soeharto said.
He said that autonomy was likely to increase the quality, initiative and creativity of Indonesians. "And they will then be able to face the challenges of an increasingly competitive world."
Later in the day, Minister of Defense Edi Sudradjat told the seminar that regional autonomy would be most effective at the level of regencies and mayoralties.
He said regencies and mayoralties were the smallest administrative units and dealt directly with development programs.
"Only regencies and mayoralties know their own weaknesses and capacity," he said. "And only they know their people's needs."
He said the more autonomy in regencies and mayoralties would cut bureaucracy.
"We have experienced communication distortions and delayed implementation of government policies and development programs (because of red tape)," he said. (06/imn)