We must not become despondent in defending the rights of (our) regionsSamarinda, East Kalimantan (ANTARA) - Governors of 31 resource-rich Indonesian provinces held deliberations on profit-sharing schemes on natural resources, palm, and mining products that will be proposed to the central government.
East Kalimantan Governor Isran Noor, who initiated the deliberation, emphasized that governors should work incessantly to defend the rights of provinces.
"We must not become despondent in defending the rights of (our) regions," Noor stressed during the coordination meeting to deliberate over the profit-sharing scheme proposal in Bali on Monday.
The governor remarked that Law No. 1 of 2022 on Financial Relations between the Central and Regional Governments enumerating the natural resources profit-sharing scheme had been the rights of Indonesian regions.
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To defend regional rights, natural resource producer provinces have agreed to conceive a written proposal to the central government to streamline profit-sharing and enumerate new natural resources for the scheme as mandated by Article 123 of Law No. 1 of 2022, according to the governor.
Noor expounded that the deliberation offers the right momentum to fight for regional rights and increase potential revenues.
"While the law will be enforced in 2024, we are now fighting to ensure that national development will continue in the future. It is not Isran Noor's or the other governors' interest but is our common interest," Noor remarked.
The governor highlighted that his past profit-sharing scheme proposal was not accommodated by the House of Representatives (DPR RI) during the bill deliberation process.
"During the deliberation for the revision of the national financial law, I proposed that 50 percent (of the revenue) be disbursed to the regional government and the rest of the 50 percent is for the central government. Despite the proposal not being accommodated, it had been deliberated by DPR RI's Commission XI legislators," he noted.
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Meanwhile, East Kalimantan Governor Team for the Advancement of Development's Head of Economy, Natural Resources, and Environmental Affairs, Zulkarnain, expressed gratitude to Governor Noor's initiative to rally provincial governors to fight for their regions' rights.
"Praise be to God (the deliberation) has been successful, and the proposal would be ready to be presented during the APPSI (Association of Indonesian Provincial Governments) meeting," Zulkarnain stated.
He noted that before the coordination meeting, Noor had hosted a meeting with governors of Riau, South Sumatra, and Lampung provinces to deliberate over the same matter.
As revenues from natural resources are significant to bolster regional growth, regional governments must ensure that natural resources should be utilised for their region's best interests, the department head affirmed.
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Translator: Arumanto, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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