Local authorities demand Jakarta to implement regional autonomy as scheduled

The Governor of South Kalimantan Province Sjachriel Darham demanded on Tuesday the central governor implement the regional autonomy measure in the mining sector early next year as scheduled.

Sjachriel told Petromindo.com that if Jakarta delayed the plan, South Kalimantan would move by its own to issue mining contracts to investors.

Sjahriel made the statement on the sidelines of a conference in Jakarta, co-organized by PT Harvest International Indonesia, Ministry of Agriculture and Australian firm BHP Pty Ltd.

Currently, the central government has the sole authority in the issuance of mining contracts to investors. The autonomy policy would transfer this authority to provincial, regency or mayoralty administrations.

The Regent of East Kutai, East Kalimantan Province, Awang Faroek,also expressed similar opinion. He said that the region already had the necessary infrastructure to implement the regional autonomy in the mining sector starting January next year.

Reports said earlier that Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Purnomo Yusgiantoro had proposed to the Coordinating Minister for the Economy Rizal Ramli to implement the autonomy policy in the mining sector gradually because not all regions were ready. Mining investors laid their weight behind the plan

But, Sjachriel dismissed the plan as "illegal".

"No way. (The plan) is unacceptable. They have first amend the Autonomy Law," he said.

Sjachriel also dismissed the allegation that the regions lacked solid organization, regulations, skilled human resources to manage the development of their natural resources.

As far as South Kalimantan was concerned, he said, the provincial administration had been drafting mining regulations governing licensing, transportation, reclamation affairs.

The province has also a special office tasked with supervising mining operations, he said, acknowledging however that the province still needed skilled mining staff.

He noted however than it would be better for the central government to move some skilled mining officials at the ministry of energy and mineral resources to the regions to support the local teams, rather than keep saying the regions were not yet prepared to implement the autonomy law.

"Send the staff of the central government to the regions. It's easy, isn't," Sjachriel said.

As far the Kutai regency was concerned, Awang said, the regency had also prepared a regulation on mining to anticipate the implementation of the autonomy law.

"We are ready," Awang said.

The conference also featured East Kalimantan governor Suwarna Abdul Fatah, Central Kalimantan governor Asmawi A. Gani as speakers. (Alex)