The time to demand regional autonomy has come. In several regions, the demand is being made in a clamorous fashion. Batam is no exception, and this small island which lies south of Singapore has developed into a strategic city of `plenty'.

Demands for autonomy were launched last Tuesday when Minister of Home Affairs Hari Sabarno visited Batam to speak at a seminar, "Collective Efforts to Administer Batam". It seems that the tug-of-war over