Abstract:
This research aimed at studying the role of assistant district directors and decentralization, the political attitude toward decentralization, and factors the affect the attitude and role of assistant district directors regarding decentralization. It was hypothesized that the role of assistant district directors has changed from governor to coordinator in public service. There is an attitude that contradicts to the decentralization idea, and the length of service is related to the said attitude and role. An opinion survey was used in this study, 105 questionnaires were distributed, and 75 of them were returned. The data was collected in August 1996. The result of the research found that the role of assistant district directors is related to a status, a position and a political attitude. As state representatives the role of assistant district disrectors is to follow orders from superiors under the law and regulations. The role of assistant district directors regarding decentralization principally depends on the government's policy. Thus the current role of assistant district directors is chiefly coordinators between the state and local administration organizations. At the time assistant district directors also have a role in the status of administrators and operators of local administration organizations. A study on assistant district directors' political attitude found that their democratically political attitude was at the lower middle level. As a result the role of assistant district directors may not be consistent to the decentralization trend.