REGIONAL AUTONOMY AND THE

EFFORTS TO ACHIEVE MDGs IN

INDONESIA

ADDRESSED BY
DR. LAODE IDA & EKA KOMARIAH KUNCORO
DEPUTY SPEAKER AND MEMBER OF THE HOUSE OF REGIONAL
REPRESENTATIVES
OF THE REPUBLIC OF INDONESIA

Presented at THE 6TH ASIAN WOMEN PARLIAMENTARIANS’ AND MINISTERS’

CONFERENCE, 23 – 24 September 2008, Ulanbataar, Mongolia
Indonesia in The Reform Era
 Democratization, resulting on the movement
from limited political party (new order/Soeharto
era) to multi party system, from indirect vote
system (via MPR) to the direct one, both for
presidential election as well as for
governor/regent/mayor election.
 The emerging on human’s right (including
women’s and children’s)
 Decentralization (previously centralization)
 The House of Regional Representatives (DPD)
was established as another legislative body in
2004 to represent regional people’s interests.
Decentralizatio
n

Dynamic changing of power from central

authority to local governments system. These
are the people demand in democratization
process as total reformation in Indonesia due
to an anti-thesis of the most centralized
system which was practiced during the
autocracy leadership under President
Soeharto (1965-1998). People hope (people
dream), through decentralization policy, the
spirit of enhancing the system in Indonesia
could be practiced. The regions respectively
aiming to increase the quality of public life
and services, in realization of the people
social economic welfare.
Distribution of Authority

National Authority:

3. Foreign Policy
4. Security and Defend
5. Justice
6. National Monetary & fiscal
7. Religion
 Local Authority:
 Education ; 1. Culture and Tourism ;
 Health; 2. Youth and Sport;
 Public Works; 3. National Resilience and internal politics
 Housing; affairs ;
 Landscaping ; 4. Regional autonomy, general Government,
 Development Planning; local finance administration, local
government institution, local civil
 Transportation; servant administration, & Sandi affairs;
 Environment; 5. Community and Village Development;
 Lands Management; 6. statistic;
 Population and Civil Administration; 7. Archive Affairs
 Woman Empowerment & Children 8. Library;
Protection;
9. Communication and information;
 Family Planning & Family Welfare; 10. Agricultures and food resilience ;
 social; 11. forestry;
 Man Power and Transmigration affairs; 12. Energy and mineral resources;
 Co-operation and Small and middle
enterprises; 13. Fishery and marine resources;
 Investment; 14. Trading
15. Industry.

Central govt. still concerns about all of the mentioned above in order to
maintain the harmonization of all regions performance
The Important Role of Local
Government

- To formulate and decide the agendas of local

development.
- To decide budget allocation. Through fiscal
decentralization policy, local government has
right/authority to decide the using of money in order
to realize their own local agendas.
- Especially for local (executive) political official
(governor/regent/major) has right to post
bureaucracy officials.
- To decide the local natural resources (exploitation)
management.
- In general: local government is the key factor to
realize the achievement of MDGs in Indonesia.
Who Are Local Government?

 Executive officials: governor and his/her

administrative supporting staff at provincial level, as
well as Bupati/Regent and Major and his/her
administrative supporting at regency/ municipality
level. Governor/ Bupati/ Major is a political official
(elected through popular vote).
 Local council: composed of politician from multi
party system, elected by people through party-slate.
Best Practice Cases Regarding MDGs

There are strong efforts to achieve MDGs particularly regarding

health and education in a few local governments such as Jembrana
(Bali) in field health, Sragen (Central Java) in field public one stop
public services, Tarakan City (East Kalimantan), and Gorontalo
Province.

- In political arena, there are opportunities for women to actively

participate in decision making process. Multi party system is an
open arena to have women involve in the political party at local
level (local council members) as well as at national level. Moreover
there is an affirmative action law (legislative election law) that
enforces minimum 30% women (compulsory) to running for
legislative members.

- In formulating development agenda from the grass root level

(villages) so called ‘musyawarah perencanaan pembangunan’
(musrembang) / participatory development planning or people
consultation for development planning, women participation is also
welcome. Stakeholders including women group are invited to
 Education

Adult Literacy Rate 15 y.o and above Women had a more

significant increase by
0.89 while men’s was
96.0 0.26.

94.0
92.0
90.0 Men
88.0 Women
86.0
84.0
82.0
2005 2006

Source: Statistics Indonesia

 Gender Equality

Number of Public Servants in important positions

Rank Men Female
This shows that the
Echelon I 590 63 number of woman that
sit in the positions of
decision maker is not
Echelon II 10,485 755
even half the man’s

Echelon III 47,587 7,444

Echelon IV 167,099 47,348

Echelon V 10,783 3,095

Source : Dept. of Woman Empowerment, 2005

 Women in Legislative, Executive, and
Judicative.

 In the period 1992-1997, the number of woman in The house of

Representatives is 12 %, in period 1999-2004 is 9,9 %, and
this latest period of 2004-2009 is 11,6 %.
 The representation of women in The House of Regional of
Representatives (DPD) which was established in 2004 is
merely 21 %.
 Women in the Government Public Services whom assigning in
the main positions such as echelon I, II, and III is only 12 %.
 in 2004, Women in the Judicative Institution is only 20 % for
judges and 18 % for Judges in the Supreme Court.
 In Regional Autonomy era, a Woman was elected as Governor
of Banten, Vice Governor of Middle Java, and several woman
elected as Bupati/Major in several district.
 Trend of maternal mortality
ratio, Indonesia

475
450
425 421
390
375 373
MMR

334
325
307
275

225
1986 1992 1994 1995 1997 2002-3

YEAR

Source: 1986: HHS 1992: HHS 1994: DHS 1995: HHS 1997-2002-3: DHS
 Trend Maternal Mortality Ratio

500
450
400
350
300
250
200
150
100
50
0
1986 1992 1994 1995 1997 2003 2007 2011 2015

Projected until 2015

 INFANT MORTALITY RATES

Angka Kematian Bayi

.
80
kematian bayi per 1.000 kel. hidup

68
70
57
60
46
50 40,8

40 35
33,9
29,4
Target MDG: 23
25,7
30 22,5 20,7
18,3 17 15,5 15,5
20
Sasaran RPJM: 26
10
Sasaran RPJP: 15,5
0
1989 1993 1997 2001 2005 2009 2013 2017 2021 2025

Tren AKB Proyeksi AKB (BPS)

Hypothetical Frame Work to Achieve
MDGs

- If all local governments apply down the best

practices, MDGs could be easily achieved
- Very much depends on commitment, consistency,
integrity, and people welfare oriented of local
government officials.
- Very much depends on good governance practice in
the region (transparency, accountability, and clean
government)
- Control/supervise by national government
- Community participation.
Problems
 Two levels autonomy: provincial and district
(region/municipality) --> lack of coordination, and inefficiency
of bureaucracy in the regions (most budget spent to fund
unproductive local institutions).
 Intervention of political interest into local government
bureaucracy.
 Local natural resources management without: (1) value
added for local community and local government as well, (2)
sustainable development principle.
 Corruption
 Cultural handicap: women are not allowed to participate in
political arena, including the expression of women freedom
onto public sphere.
 Popular vote system: money politics, results in recruiting
candidate who are not credible. When they becomes the
decision maker, the developments in regions are self profit-
oriented, getting the money back used in the campaign --
>Poor Public Facilities

How DPD RI Role in Achievement of
The MDG’s Target

1. Supervising Central Government as well

as Local Government in implementing
IDG/MDG’s;
• (budget Plan for Education, Health,
Woman Empowerment.

2. Bridging Central Government and Local

Government in attaining the IDG &
MDG’s Target
What Next?
 Need national guideline on local budget allocation as well as in the making of
local regulations in order to achieve MDGs
 Supervision of local authority on budget allocation, implementation of local
development agendas, formulation of local regulations, natural resources
management, and the placement of proper bureaucracy aparaturs, by national
government and DPD as well.
 Separation of local bureaucracy and elected political official (could be one of
substantial issues regarding the revision of local government law).
 Strengthening the capacity of local civil society groups to monitor the local
government performance
 Revising law on local government to have a single level autonomy
 Formulating special law on local election by having a proper conditions to
minimize the worse adverse impact.
 Enhancing women participation on public sectors.
 As International Affairs is not part of the regions’ authority, if regions proactively
seek for International Aids (such as UNICEF, WHO, etc) in relation to the
implementation of MDGs, it should be collaborated with the central govt.,
otherwise International Aids should be directly distributed to regions.
Thank you