City official to be questioned over illegal billboard<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): City Planning Agency chief Ahmadin Ahmad will be
\nquestioned soon by the City Officials Honorary Council for his
\nalleged role in granting permission to erect a giant billboard in
\na restricted zone, an official said on Monday.<\/p>\n
City Inspector Hendarmin Ono Saleh said Ahmadin, who is
\npresently on holiday with his family in the United States, would
\nbe questioned shortly after he arrived home from his vacation.<\/p>\n
Hendarmin said Ahmadin would have known that erecting
\nbillboards in restricted areas was against the law and he was
\nprohibited from accepting money for the billboard permits he
\nissues.<\/p>\n
\"There is no such thing. Those who want permits only need to
\npay the tax. It's possible to bring the city planning agency
\nchief before the council on this,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Hendarmin was referring to the large billboard advertising a
\nwell-known toothpaste brand on Jl. Sisingamangaraja in South
\nJakarta, which has been widely reported in local newspapers over
\nthe past few days. Gubernatorial Decree No. 702\/1992 clearly
\nstipulates that the street is one of six in the capital to be
\nfree of billboards.<\/p>\n
The billboard, measuring 10 meters by 20 meters, was erected
\nlast month. The company paid its 2000\/2001 fee, amounting to Rp
\n109,500,000 (US$11,526), to the City Revenue Agency.<\/p>\n
An executive at the advertising company PT Cinggar Indo Galba
\nsaid the firm decided to erect the billboard in the restricted
\nzone since it had given extra money to the Jakarta Soccer
\nAssociation (Persija).<\/p>\n
The company president, Kemal, said recently that he received a
\nrecommendation to place the billboard at its present location
\nfrom Ahmadin, who is also a Persija official, after paying the
\nmoney to the association.<\/p>\n
Kemal, however, did not disclose the precise amount given or
\n\"how or to who\" at Persija received the money.<\/p>\n
It is commonly known that the City Planning Agency has been
\n\"used\" to provide funds for Persija as many city officials are
\nalso executives of the soccer association.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, City Revenue Agency chief Deden Supriyadi said he
\nhad ordered his staff to take down the disputed billboard on
\nMonday afternoon at the latest.<\/p>\n
\"I've signed the order to take down the billboard because the
\ngovernor has told us to take it down and return the tax money,\"
\nDeden said.<\/p>\n
Separately, vice chairman of the Indonesian Outdoor
\nAdvertisement Companies Association (AMLI) Gunadi Soekemi told a
\nnews conference that the billboard on Jl. Sisingamangaraja was
\nnot the only one illegally erected in the capital.<\/p>\n
Gatot said others included a giant billboard of a famous
\ncigarette brand in front of the Hilton International Hotel on Jl.
\nGatot Subroto, which is on government property and is forbidden
\nby law.<\/p>\n
AMLI chairman Gatot Teguh Ariffianto said the city's
\ninconsistency in issuing permits to advertising companies had led
\nto disorderliness.<\/p>\n
\"Such inconsistency has created unhealthy competition (among
\nadvertising companies),\" Gatot said.<\/p>\n
He said the practice led to high costs and an increasing
\nnumber of brokers, instead of real advertising agencies.<\/p>\n
He said about 10 percent of the hundreds of billboard
\nadvertising companies in the capital were acting only as agents
\nfor other companies to get permits from the city since they knew
\nthe officials.<\/p>\n
Gunadi said the agents' practice had smeared the image of
\nbillboard advertising companies.<\/p>\n
\"If this practice continues, we'll lose our pride in the
\nprofession,\" Gunadi said.<\/p>\n
Gatot, however, questioned the basis which was used by the
\ncity to decide which streets would be free of billboards.<\/p>\n
\"The government should involve us (advertising companies) the
\nnext time they make regulations on this matter,\" Gatot
\nsaid.(dja\/jaw)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/city-official-to-be-questioned-over-illegal-billboard-1447893297",
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