Some 1,500 rulings may be revoked

Some 1,500 rulings may be revoked

PADANG, West Sumatra: At least 1,500 rulings issued by the
central government and various provincial administrations during
the New Order era may be revoked when Law No. 22/1999 on regional
autonomy takes effect.

State Minister for Regional Autonomy Ryaas Rasyid said here on
Saturday that many of these regulations hindered the peoples'
activities as they involved strict regulations and taxes on
various private activities, such as setting up new businesses.

"In the past, much of the people's creativity in the regions
was curdled by bureaucracy, which was further aggravated by a lot
of red tape needed for various permits," he said, adding that
many regulations were too "centralistic".

He called on local administrations and councils to establish
new regulations in place of these restrictive ones in accordance
with the individual needs of different areas.

"Provincial administrations and councils should pass new ones
right away, because they are the ones who know and understand the
potential of their regions," Ryaas said.

He also urged regional administrations to place a strong focus
on the development of human resources.

"For a region to be able to compete in the global market, then
their human resources must be adequate. It (human resources) will
be the gauge both on a national level and international level,"
he said as quoted by Antara. (01)