Soeharto promises more local autonomy

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)