Mar 28, 2012

Indonesia - Home Minister cannot fire regional leaders opposed to fuel price policy: Expert


JAKARTA - Home Minister Gamawan Fauzi does not have the authority to fire regional heads who reject the central government's plan to increase fuel prices, a constitutional law expert said on Tuesday.

Yusril Ihza Mahendra, who is also a former law and human rights minister, told reporters that the Home Ministry did not have any right to fire local leaders as they were directly elected by the people.

"The Home Minister only inaugurates local leaders, but they are the people's choice. Therefore, as regional heads they have political choices and it is up to them to choose whichever option they want," Yusril said on the sidelines of a hearing in the Constitutional Court.

"The Home Minister cannot fire any regents or mayors who join the rallies to protest the subsidized fuel price hike."

He added that before the era of regional autonomy, the Home Ministry was allowed to dismiss any local bureaucrats because they were employees of the ministry.

However, since the granting of regional autonomy, the ministry can not dismiss local bureaucrats as they are parts of their local administrations.

"Basically, he [Gamawan] can't do anything but grumble. In reality, he can't even fire a Jakarta civil servant, because they are not Home Ministry employees anymore," said Yusril.

Gamawan is calling on all regional heads to support the central government's proposal to increase subsidized fuel prices regardless of their political background.

The former West Sumatera governor argued that anybody who insisted on countering the plan could be dismissed for violating the State Budget Law and their inauguration vows.

The Jakarta Post/Asia News Network



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