Marianne Kearney, Jakarta – New districts and regencies are mushrooming across Indonesia as ambitious politicians try to carve out fiefdoms to increase their political power and attract more funds to the newly created districts.

In the last four years, four new provinces have been added in the country. And while 22 new cities or districts were approved by the Indonesian Parliament last year, up from 12 the year before, officials from the Home Affairs Ministry say another 25 new districts or kabupatens will probably be given the go-ahead this year.

Observers say members of the local elite, nursing ambitions of becoming politicians and district leaders, are pushing for the new provinces and districts. Such moves allow those pushing for them to get influential positions, said Mr Bernard May, an adviser with the German Agency for Technical Cooperation.

Each district has to have a new parliament with a minimum of 25 seats, which means that many new positions for aspiring members of the elite. In addition, the local government of a new province or regency is entitled to funds from the central government.

Both financial gains and a desire to carve out a district for ethnic groups are factors behind the push for the dozens of new districts, said Mr May.

For the local elite who might have missed out on becoming local legislators, a new city or district allows them a better chance of positioning themselves for the next elections, say other observers.

Said Mr Adi Abidin from the Asia Foundation: "For the local elite it works because once the new city or district is established, they get the first shot at trying to manage this area."

Most of the new cities or districts created thus far have been in resource rich areas outside Java and Bali, primarily because the local politicians see the financial potential of creating new districts in areas where royalties from mining or gas are high, said Mr Adi.

For example, Kutai, a district in East Kalimantan which has extensive mineral resources, has been divided into three districts while local politicians have proposed a new province in Sumbawa, another mineral rich area.

And in Riau province, a scandal has erupted as a local politician tried to create a new province for the Riau islands, which would have included Batam and Bintan islands, home to an extensive manufacturing industry.

Following allegations that some amount meant for development was spent wrongly on lobbying Jakarta, local groups are calling for his dismissal.

However, bids from would-be district politicians are usually successful. The local elite persuades national politicians to back its demands for a new district and the supporting legislation is passed in Jakarta, once the regional parliaments have given their approval.

Observers suspect would-be politicians or mayors are offering financial incentives to get the approval. Mr May says too many new districts have been approved and there may be problems funding their administration.

New provinces

Three years ago, there were 27 provinces in Indonesia, one of which was East Timor, which is now an independent country.

There are now 31 provinces. The new ones are: Banten in West Java Gorontalo in North Sulawesi Bangka and Belitung off South Sumatra North Maluku in Maluku.