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Annual Indonesia Lecture Series 2006

Thursday 9th November 2006, 6.00pm refreshments in foyer, 7.00pm sharp: lectures commence
Iwaki Auditorium, ABC Southbank Centre
Corner Sturt Street and Southbank Boulevard, Melbourne

Centre of Southeast Asian Studies, Monash Asia Institute Monash University, in association with
ABC Radio Australia, and
Australian-Indonesian Association of Victoria Inc.

present…

The Annual Indonesia Lecture Series 2006

"Regional Autonomy - Shifting Loci of Power?"

Speakers and Topics:

It has now been over five years since Indonesia launched its 'big bang' decentralisation, with the radical devolution of a wide range of government authority and functions to the district (Kabupaten) and city (kota ) levels. The planning and implementation process for regional autonomy can be characterised as 'learning by doing' on a grand scale. Whilst democratisation and popular accountability were stressed in the 1999 decentralisation decrees, there were notable omissions. Top-level political support was inconsistent, some central agencies were uncooperative, and regional stakeholders were rarely consulted. In implementing their own vision of regional autonomy, kabupaten and kota governments exhibited considerable ingenuity, guile and speed in enacting new laws, many of which took advantage of rent seeking (or rent-harvesting) opportunities in the management of natural resources and other sources of revenue. The new laws also granted much greater autonomy to village communities and governments, effectively severing the institutional links between village governments and the state structure, and encouraging the revival of customary forms of village government that accorded with local norms, traditions and social structures.

In 2004, the original decentralisation statutes of 1999 were revised to correct mistakes and clarify ambiguities. Two of the most significant aspects of the 2004 laws were strengthening and clarifying the role of provincial governments within the decentralisation framework, and provisions for direct election of governors and district heads (Bupati). The 'natural autonomy' of villages was retained in the new laws, with slightly clearer guidelines as to the roles and responsibilities of village governments. As well, central government agencies are finally seriously undertaking the task of setting out the minimum performance standards (SPM) for regional government, and of linking compliance with these standards to regional financial distributions.

Literature on decentralisation touts the benefits of greater responsiveness, efficiency and accountability. Both popular and scholarly assessments of decentralisation in Indonesia, however, have been less sanguine, portraying a system of governance that has moved rapidly towards greater exploitation and corruption, and even less transparency at the regional level. At the same time, there are many encouraging accounts of excellent regional regulations and management initiatives, and of local communities campaigning for - and achieving - better deals from government as well as large-scale resource-based industries.

Indonesia's bold experiment and the experiences of the past six years raise many interesting questions. Does devolution of authority to lower levels of government inherently promote democratisation, and increased accountability? What are the implications of the ongoing process of 'pemekaran ' - the establishment of ever more provinces, districts and sub-districts? Have direct elections led to greater popular control and more responsive government, or are we seeing a return to feudalistic forms and entrenchment of local elites, along with a flourishing of 'money politics' at the local level? What of natural resource management? Is there any evidence that decentralisation has led to more sustainable management of Indonesia's diminishing natural wealth, or that benefit streams are being more equitably shared among sectors of the community? How much of the current corruption, collusion and mismanagement so widely discussed is a legacy of a half century of centrist, sectoral and exploitative law and policy, and how much of it stems from new opportunities created by the decentralisation process itself? This years Annual Indonesia Lecture Series speakers will address different aspects of these issues.

About the speakers

Dr Chusnul Mar'iyah

Born in East Java, Dr Chusnul Mar'iyah, a Lecturer in Political Science has a degree from the University of Indonesia, Jakarta, and a PhD in Politics from the University of Sydney in 1998. In 2001, she was appointed a Member of the Indonesian Electoral Commission (KPU) where she was placed in charge of the Logistics Division, responsible for coordination and monitoring of the 2004 elections. In this capacity, she was responsible for installing the high-tech network for an electoral data centre and data recovery centre in Jakarta that stored gender-specific data on voters throughout Indonesia - the first such system ever in Indonesia. This required leading the KPU IT Tender Committee through its purchase of 8005 computers for over 416 regencies and 4176 districts in 32 provinces. In so doing, she sought to lay a foundation for e-government in post-election Indonesia.

Dr Chusnul Mar'iyah's research interests are in Indonesian Politics, Urban Politics, Constructive Conflict Management and Women, Islam and Politics. A founder of Indonesia's Institute for Democracy Education (IDe) and Women for Peace and Justice (Perempuan PeKa), she has previously worked as a Coordinator for the Indonesian Women's Coalition for Justice and Democracy and with the NGO Yayasan Kalyanamitra. She has also served as a board member for Transparency International-Indonesia (TI-Indonesia) and for the Indonesian Foundation for Free Asia (Yayasan Tifa).

Ida Aju Resosudarmo

Ida Aju (Daju) Resosudarmo has been a researcher and a program leader at the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), based in Bogor, Indonesia. Her research interests focus on natural resource policies and governance. She has written articles on Indonesia's decentralization and its implications for forests, the effect of the economic crisis on forests and farmers, the effects of population and migration on forest cover, and the rates and causes of Indonesia's deforestation. She is co-editor with Carol J. Pierce Colfer of the book Which Way Forward? People, Forests, and Policymaking in Indonesia, Washington D.C., RFF Press 2002.

Currently a PhD scholar in the School of Resources, Environment and Society at the Australian National University, Daju Resosudarmo is researching a thesis on the outcomes of Indonesia's recent decentralization process in the context of forest use and management. The research examines the dynamics of forestry-related decision making processes and their implementation at the national, sub-national, and local levels especially as regards East Kalimantan, Indonesia.

Associate Professor Richard Chauvel

Richard Chauvel, BA (Syd), MA (Lond), PhD (Syd), has teaching and research interests in Indonesian history and politics, Australia-Indonesia relations and Australian foreign policy. His research has focused on political and social change in eastern Indonesia, most particularly in Maluku and Papua. He was a consultant for the International Crisis Group in Papua and his report was published as Indonesia: Ending Repression in Irian Jaya , ICG Asia Report No 23. Two volumes of essays on Papua were published as The Land of Papua and the Indonesian State , Monash Asia Institute, Centre of Southeast Asian Studies, Working Papers 120 & 121, 2003. His doctoral research was published as Nationalists, Soldiers and Separatists: the Ambonese Islands from Colonialism to Revolt, 1880-1950 , Leiden: KITLV Press, 1990. Awarded the Peter Hastings Memorial Fellowship, he is writing a history of the West New Guinea Dispute. Dr Chauvel is also the co-author of two policy papers for the East West Center Washington's project on The Dynamics and Management of Internal Conflict in Asia. He has been an academic consultant for three radio series for ABC Radio Australia / Radio National, including Federasi Australia, Otonomi Indonesia and Sharing Power: The Ties that Bind. Now with Victoria University in Melbourne, he has previously taught in the departments of politics and history at the University of Indonesia in Jakarta, 1987-1992, where he helped establish the Centre for Australian Studies of the University of Indonesia.

ALL WELCOME
For catering purposes, please RSVP by email to Dr Tony Donaldson
Tony.Donaldson@adm. monash.edu.au> with "AILS 2006" in subject heading of your message.

Bookings will be automatically accepted without confirmation.

DOWNLOAD: Flyer for the Annual Indonesia Lecture Series 2006

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