The Indonesian government's move to devolve more powers to its restive provinces got off to a rocky start yesterday, with the protest resignation of one of the key ministers charged with preparing and implementing the plan.
Just one day after Jakarta, without fanfare, ushered in the regional autonomy package on New Year's Day, Minister for Government Personnel and Administrative Reforms, Ryaas Rasyid, tendered his resignation to President Abdurrahman Wahid.
Rasyid cited "differences of ideas" with Wahid over the formation of a special agency on regional autonomy policies as one of the main reasons for quitting the Cabinet.
"I have long proposed the need of a special agency to handle regional autonomy policies. He [Wahid] was of the opinion that such an agency was needed ... however it is different than what I proposed," Rasyid said.
The president has so far assigned the preparation of regional autonomy to a directorate general of the home affairs ministry.
Critics have said the directorate general would have insufficient leverage to garner cooperation from ministries and institutions.
Andi Malarangeng, an expert in regional autonomy at the home affairs ministry, said Rasyid's resignation was "a great loss" to Wahid's government, calling him a "professional with clear vision."
"There's no way a directorate general can coordinate policies of other ministries," he added, agreeing with Rasyid's viewpoint.
Rasyid said Wahid was studying his resignation proposal but the chances of the president insisting he stayed on were "very small."
Rasyid was deeply involved in preparing the laws on regional autonomy and on fiscal equity, the foundations of the drive to accord political and economic autonomy to the country's 29 provinces and more than 300 districts.
Another minister key to the autonomy preparations, Bambang Sudibyo, lost his post in a Cabinet reshuffle in August.
Under the scheme the regions hold the power to appoint their own leaders and to prepare and administer their own budgets.
But the government will cut subsidies to the provinces and retain some 40 percent of the provincial tax income.
It will also retain authority in foreign, defense and monetary affairs as well as in justice.
Rasyid has made it clear that he feels there are inadequate laws in place to ensure the success of the scheme.
"I am pessimistic ... with the absence of necessary regulations and presidential decrees to enforce the laws ... it will only burden the people," he told the Jakarta Post.
Jakarta has issued a total of 16 government regulations to support the autonomy move, but Rasyid said more than 100 presidential decrees were still needed to implement them.
But he said the lack of decrees should not result in chaos, telling the daily Bisnis Indonesia, that he saw one of two scenarios -- either provincial and district authorities would be overly creative, issuing their own local decrees, or just remain passive.
He also aired fears that the lack of laws and regulations, would result in the corrupt practices prevailing in the central government spreading to the regions.
Rasyid also criticized local politicians for emphasizing their bigger share of the pie and ability to raise revenue, rather than their obligations.
"They forget their obligation to provide better services to the public and to empower the people," he said, according to the Jakarta Post.
The autonomy deal allows each district and province to seek its own sources of revenue, and many worry that local administrations, especially in resource-poor areas, may hit people hard with new taxes and levies.
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source