Council vows to cancel water management deal<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The City Council on Monday promised to fight for
\nthe immediate termination of a water management deal between
\ncity-owned tap water firm PDAM Jaya and its two foreign partners.<\/p>\n
Speaking to some 500 protesting PDAM Jaya employees, the
\ncouncil's provisional leaders, Supangat from the Indonesian
\nDemocratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) and Abdul Aziz
\nMatnur from the Justice Party, said the council would do
\neverything within its power to return the management of the
\ncity's water supply to PDAM Jaya.<\/p>\n
\"We will try to return water management to PDAM Jaya by the
\nend of this month at the latest,\" Supangat told the 500
\nemployees.<\/p>\n
The protesters, from PDAM Jaya's workers' union, have been
\nprotesting the management deal since last year.<\/p>\n
Union secretary Zainal Abidin told the legislators the
\nprotesters would return to the City Council building if the
\ncouncilors failed to honor their word.<\/p>\n
\"We'll never quit staging rallies here until our demands are
\nmet,\" Zainal said.<\/p>\n
The workers arrived at the council building at about 11 a.m.
\ncarrying banners, posters, a coffin and effigies of Governor
\nSutiyoso and the council's former speaker, Edy Waluyo.<\/p>\n
The workers urged the council to press Sutiyoso to cancel the
\nwater management deal with the two foreign firms: PT Thames Pam
\nJaya (TPJ) and PT Pam Lyonnaise Jaya (Palyja), which are
\nsubsidiaries of Britain's Thames Water International and France's
\nLyonnaise des Eaux, respectively.<\/p>\n
\"The water agreement was full of nuances of corruption and
\ncollusion,\" Zainal told Supangat, Aziz and other councilors
\nduring the protest on Monday.<\/p>\n
If the governor continues to refuse to cancel the agreement,
\nthe workers will suggest that the council ask Sutiyoso to resign,
\nZainal said.<\/p>\n
Resign<\/p>\n
Sutiyoso, a retired three-star Army general, is scheduled to
\nend his term in 2002.<\/p>\n
The protesters also demanded the councilors not renominate Edy
\nWaluyo as council speaker, saying he had failed to heed their
\naspirations.<\/p>\n
According to the union members, the water management agreement
\nwas signed in February 1998 by the city administration and local
\nfirms PT Garuda Dipta Semesta (GDS) owned by businessman Anthony
\nSalim, and PT Kekar Pola Airindo (KPA) controlled by former
\npresident Soeharto's eldest son Sigit Hardjojudanto.<\/p>\n
\"Why did it suddenly change and the foreign firms managed to
\ntake over the management of the city's water,\" he asked.<\/p>\n
Lyonnaise and Thames had cooperation agreements with GDS and
\nKPA, respectively, but the local firms pulled out of the
\nagreements after Soeharto resigned in May last year.<\/p>\n
The city, the two foreign firms and related parties are still
\nrenegotiating the water deal.<\/p>\n
After conveying their demands to the council members, the
\nprotesters marched to City Hall, located behind the council
\nbuilding.<\/p>\n
There the workers nearly became involved in a clash with city
\npublic order officials after they attempted to forcibly enter
\nSutiyoso's office.<\/p>\n
Dozens of marines arrived at the scene and were able to calm
\nthe protesters, who left City Hall after their representatives
\nmet with city officials.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Palyja executive Bernard Lafronge said the council
\ncould not suggest the cancellation of the water management deal
\nsince it had not yet named a speaker or established its
\ncommissions.<\/p>\n
\"I think the workers tried to force the councilors into
\naccepting their demands,\" Lafronge said.<\/p>\n
He also denied that the ongoing renegotiation of the water
\ndeal had reached \"a deadlock\".<\/p>\n
\"It's still being discussed,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Lafronge said the protesting workers -- in a meeting on the
\nrenegotiation of the deal two weeks ago at City Hall -- also
\ninsisted the water management agreement be revoked.<\/p>\n
Under the deal, the foreign firms must first invest in pipe
\nrepair and installation, among other things, before being allowed
\nto collect water fees from consumers. A certain amount of the
\ncollected money must be given to the city.<\/p>\n
\"So maybe they thought it was a deadlock, but it wasn't,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
The renegotiation is now being handled by the office of the
\ncoordinating minister for development supervision, he said.<\/p>\n
He also said the protests would not disrupt Palyja's service
\nto the public.<\/p>\n
\"They are not Palyja's workers or TPJ's workers. They are a
\nsmall and nonactive (group of workers),\" Bernard said.<\/p>\n
Executives of TPJ could not be reached for comment. (jun)<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/council-vows-to-cancel-water-management-deal-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }