Regional Autonomy Strengthens Unity and Cohesion: Vice President

Padang, W. Sumatra, (Antara) - Vice President Jusuf Kalla said autonomy granted to the regions will further strengthen the unity of the nation and lend a stronger sense of cohesiveness.

"Previously, we used to follow an inverse paradigm. We used to reluctantly grant any regional autonomy because we assumed that such an approach will weaken national unity," the vice president stated in his acceptance speech as he received an Honorary Doctorate Degree in  Regional Administration Law at Andalas University in Padang on Monday.

As per the vice president, regional autonomy is an instrument of unity in which the national system guarantees justice. There can be no unity if justice is not ceded to the regions.

"In this perspective, for me, regional autonomy is a question of justice, not just a matter of transferring administrative or managerial areas of governance," he added.

He reminded there have been a number of upheavals in Indonesia, but the root cause was always an issue related to justice. Local people feel ignored, they feel they are not being heard and not given space.

"People can have different theories and perceptions about fairness. In my opinion, justice is a condition of life in which each person feels comfortable, peaceful, secure and has access to the same opportunities," he explained.

Apart from the existing paradigm, regional autonomy is undoubtedly important in Indonesia due to several socio-cultural and political reasons, he noted.

First, the heterogeneity in many ways makes regional autonomy a necessity because only with such autonomy can we continue with our values of pluralism more effectively.

Second, as an island nation, a centralized system of running a government is not efficient.

"We've erred in adopting a paradigm. We think Indonesia is the largest archipelago country and a centralized system is an absolute must. This paradigm should be reversed. The integrity of the state and the nation can be more effective and efficient when the regions are granted autonomy to carry out governance," he stressed.

Third, it is an empirical fact that for decades, favoring a centralized system of government has resulted in inequality between regions and diluted the creativity of human resources.

The centralized system of managing human resources made the country a barren land for creativity. Everyone simply started waiting for instructions from above or from Jakarta.

"For me, the regional autonomy requires prerequisites such as imagination, creativity and initiative. When all three of these prerequisites are there, the regions will develop in a healthy manner. Success or failure of autonomy is determined by the quality of human resources, good planning, execution and control as well as their national standardization," concluded the vice president.(*)