Decentralization

Research:
1. Definition of decentralization
2. Related in Indonesia ; Advantages and disadvantages adopting decentralization
system .
3. Research of Indonesia history in 1953-1955

Decentralization is distribution of authority from government to district head so

that they take care of they own domestic affair. Indonesia use decentralization because
Indonesia is a large country so if the system was centralization, it will be harder for the
government.
According to Merriam Webster Dictionary, decentralization means the dispersion
or distribution of functions and powers; specifically : the delegation of power from a
central authority to regional and local authorities. Decentralization might be suitable for
Indonesia, because Indonesia is a huge archipelago in the equator. It consists of 17,000
islands which are extending 5,150 kilometers (3,200 miles) from East to West, between
the Indian and Pacific Oceans in Southeast Asia. There are five large islands. Sumatra
is the largest and then Java, Kalimantan (Borneo), Sulawesi and Irian Jaya (known as
Papua). Totally, there are 34 provinces in Indonesia. In the past, it was a centralized
government for 32 years (Soeharto regime or New Order government). Indonesia is the
fourth most populous nations in the world. This huge country needs a proper
management system.
There are some advantages and disadvantages of adopting the decentralization
system. First, decentralization gives access to the local people in rural regions and local
communities to improve their area. Decentralization also improves the participation of
local administration to manage their local resources. So, the burden and the working
load of the central government can be reduced.

On the other hand, the decentralization also has some negative results such as
creating greater unfairness among communities and regions which have different levels
of organisational skills. The local elites can use their position for their own benefits. The
worst thing is corruption. It is not easy to control the autonomy areas. According to the

data from the Jakarta Post, now Indonesia has 529 autonomous regions: 33 provinces,
398 regencies and 98 municipalities. The request for additional regions still continue.
Indonesian government has a long history. From 1953-1955, Indonesia was
going through the political and economical instability. In 1950s, Indonesia was in the
transformational process from a federal state to a unitary state (centralized). In
conclusion, Indonesia was not ready for decentralization method at that time.

Source:
http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2012/04/20/how-many-provinces-does-indonesianeed.html#sthash.S8K2iqTF.dpuf
http://www.jstor.org/stable/3024060?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents
http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/countries/indonesia-facts/