Not Simply Regional Expansion
Compared with the period before the 1998 Reformation, the number of autonomous regions in this country has increased very rapidly over the last 20 years.
The expansion of new regions was initially regulated under Law No. 22/1999 on Regional Governments, which has since been amended several times, and is now regulated under Law No. 23/2014.
At the end of the New Order government, only 297 regencies/municipalities in 27 provinces were autonomous regions. From 1999 to 2014, when a moratorium on regional expansion was imposed, 215 new autonomous regions were established. Indonesia now consists of 514 regencies and municipalities in 34 provinces.
These new autonomous regions were still dependent on the parent administration or the central government.
When the House of Representatives (DPR) and the government were to recommence regional expansion in early 2014, the Regional Autonomy Watch (KPPOD) confirmed that 70 percent of new regions formed in 1999-2009 had failed to achieve financial independence. These new autonomous regions were still dependent on the parent administration or the central government.
As this daily reported on Saturday, the KPPOD’s data showed that improvements to social welfare and accelerated development were still unsatisfactory in 18 new autonomous regions that had been formed since 2012. No comprehensive review on the optimal development of new autonomous regions has been undertaken. Some regions even risk failure.
The new autonomous regions that are still underdeveloped include both regencies and provinces level. According to KPPOD executive director Robert Endi Jaweng, comprehensive evaluation was undertaken during the moratorium on the regional expansion in the early years of the Joko Widodo-Jusuf Kalla administration. A comprehensive evaluation is critical to finding solutions for the new areas to develop (Kompas, 20/7/2019).
In the past, when new regions were established in 1999, the government evaluated the regions and found that a number of areas had not been developed, even failed to develop.
The Home Affairs Ministry, which supervises autonomous regions, threatened to return the failed autonomous regions to their parent administrations. However, Kompas\' records show that no autonomous regions have been returned to or reintegrated with their parent administrations.
Regional integration requires the DPR’s approval and lobbying for this is not easy, because the new regions already have their own regents, Regional Legislative Councils (DPRDs) and their own administrations.
On occasion, new autonomous regions were established in order to mitigate conflict between residents in the greater administrative area.
Looking back, many autonomous regions were newly formed not in the interests of the people. Establishing the autonomous regions did not focus public services or improve social welfare, and were formed because of pressure from the political elite. On occasion, new autonomous regions were established in order to mitigate conflict between residents in the greater administrative area.
Learning from experience and previous evaluations of new autonomous regions, the moratorium should be maintained on the expansion of autonomous regions. A thorough evaluation of new regions needs to be undertaken immediately.
The evaluation results should be announced publicly so that the people can also respond. If a region is looking at potential failure, it should be reintegrated with its original administrative area. There is no need to maintain a failed region because it will only harm the people and undermine national resilience.