Regional Elections and Effectiveness of Regional Governments

Kompas/Handining

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Regional autonomy is basically a situation where local residents organize and manage their own households, a responsibility handed over by the national government to the autonomous regions. If the regions arrange and manage their own households, local residents, through regional representatives and regional heads, will be able to make and implement regional policies in accordance with the expectations and aspirations of local residents.

The effectiveness of local governments is key to the success of delegating regional autonomy to provinces, regencies and cities. Local governments can be concluded as effective if local policies [regional budgets (APBD), local bylaws of non-APBD and regional head regulations) are not only formulated in accordance with legislation but also with the aspirations of local people and regional characteristics. Local governments, which are able to make regional policies like this, cannot be called effective, if the regional policies cannot be implemented in reality.