Yogyakarta, April 23, 2026 – The Master’s and Doctoral Programs of Public Policy and Management (MKP), FISIPOL UGM, organized a seminar and book discussion entitled “Reviewing the Dynamics of Decentralization in Indonesia and Book Discussion: Theory and Regulation of Regional Autonomy.” This academic forum, which was open to the public, took place in the Auditorium on the 4th Floor of FISIPOL UGM on Thursday (23/4) morning.
Evi Sukmayeti, S.IP., MPA., an MKP doctoral student serving as the moderator, opened the event by highlighting concerns in the field regarding current government decentralization practices. “Practitioners state that what is currently being felt is a transfer of affairs, not authority. So, they are given tasks but not the authority to make decisions. Thus, it seems that what we worry about in the MKP department is that what is happening now is recentralization,” Evi explained.
The event specifically discussed the history of regional autonomy and decentralization through the concepts outlined in the 18 chapters of the book “Teori dan Regulasi Otonomi Daerah” (Theory and Regulation of Regional Autonomy) by Prof. Dr. Hanif Nurcholis, M.Si., a Professor at Universitas Terbuka. If history is said to repeat itself, the academic review in his book can be used to navigate how autonomy and decentralization will unfold in the future. Furthermore, he highlighted the fundamental meaning of regional independence.
“Within Autonomy is a community-based legal entity that stands on its own feet, possessing freedom,” he stated. However, the freedom of an autonomous region remains bound by and derived from the laws that established it.
In line with this, UGM MKP Professor, Prof. Dr. Agus Pramusinto, also shared his views. He provided a valuable lesson that regional autonomy should not be feared; instead, it should be utilized as a strategic effort to nurture unity. The discussion became even more comprehensive with the presence of the Mayor of Yogyakarta and former Head of BKKBN, dr. Hasto Wardoyo. Drawing from his experience as a regional head, he expressed his hopes regarding the direction of regional autonomy policy so that it does not deviate from its primary goals.
“Autonomy’s correlation with welfare needs to be strengthened, identifying autonomy variables that correlate strongly with welfare, so that through autonomy, region-specific policies can be discovered. Do not use a ‘one size fits all’ approach,” Hasto explained.
Through this academic forum, FISIPOL UGM continues its commitment to providing a dialectical space to oversee the implementation of well-targeted public policies. This evaluation of decentralization governance is expected to encourage the creation of effective, transparent, and accountable policy-making institutions, ensuring that equitable welfare can be felt in all regions without exception.