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Govt, House agree to halt creation of new regions
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has called for a moratorium to the creation of administrative regions, following the recent death of a council speaker in North Sumatra
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President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has called for a moratorium to the creation of administrative regions, following the recent death of a council speaker in North Sumatra.
Friday’s call was greeted with immediate support by House of Representatives Speaker Agung Laksono.
North Sumatra Legislative Council speaker Abdul Aziz Angkat died of a heart attack on Tuesday, just hours after an angry mob assaulted him during a violent protest to demand the creation of a new province, Tapanuli.
The crowd of around 2,000 people were incensed at the council’s decision to delay a plenary meeting to discuss recommendating the establishment of the new province.
The postponement had been decided upon after the required number of councilors failed to show up.
“I have spoken about this matter with speakers of the House of Representatives and regional legislative councils. [I said] let’s have a moratorium; let’s first evaluate the creation of new [administrative] regions, past and present,” Yudhoyono said at a press conference at the presidential office in Jakarta.
“There are basic requirements we need to meet if we want to create a new region. The establishment of some new regions are a success, but others are not. I therefore ask all parties to consider this issue seriously.”
Yudhoyono said the creations of some new regions failed because they were aimed at satisfying the interests of certain local political elites.
He pointed out that the elites demanded new regions solely because of economic or political motives, and not because they wanted to develop the regions and improve the welfare of local constituents.
Regional autonomy expert Siti Zuhro from the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) expressed similar views.
She said the political process to create new regions was often marred by violent protests, since the moves were primarily prompted by conflicts of interest among local leaders.
She added Indonesians were basically not prepared for wider regional autonomy, and that the problem was compounded by the “inconsistency” in existing legal basis for the decentralization policy, which often confused the public.
House Speaker Agung Laksono agreed the regional autonomy policy needed to be evaluated.
He said “a new grand design” on the issue was needed, pending which the ongoing process of creating new regions should be halted.
“The government must issue a special regulation on this instead of merely giving statements. It must evaluate and review all related policies and postpone current measures to form new regions,” Agung said, adding the regulation was needed as legal basis for the moratorium.
The number of provinces, municipalities and regencies has mushroomed under the decentralization program, following the fall of Soeharto in 1998.
Before the reform era and the enactment of regional autonomy laws, there were only 27 provinces and 293 regencies and municipalities across the country.
As of December 2008, the figure stood at 33 provinces and 491 regencies and municipalities.
As decentralization prompts the flow of money and influence into previously neglected regions, some analysts warn the devolution of power has created venal local elites of “mini Soehartos”. (naf)
