Governor urged to dismiss zoo officials<\/p>\n
Ahmad Junaidi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The city council urged Governor Sutiyoso on Thursday to
\ndismiss officials at city-owned Ragunan Zoo for trying to bribe
\ncity councillors.<\/p>\n
Chairman of the council's Commission B for economic affairs
\nSyarief Zulkarnain said the governor should fire the zoo's
\ngeneral affairs head Allen Marbun for trying to bribe the
\ncommission members with Rp 90 million (US$900).<\/p>\n
\"The zoo's director, Ismianto, should be fired too if he had
\nordered the bribe to be paid,\" Zulkarnain told reporters.<\/p>\n
He claimed that Marbun approached him and offered the money
\nafter the councillors had inspected the zoo on Monday afternoon,
\nfollowing a hearing in the morning when the councillors suspected
\nirregularities in the spending of zoo funds by the zoo's
\nmanagement.<\/p>\n
However, Sutiyoso did not respond positively to the
\ncouncillors' proposal regarding the dismissal of the zoo
\nofficials. Instead, he regretted that the councillors had drawn
\nthe media's attention to the issue before consulting him.<\/p>\n
\"The councillors should not act like a judiciary body. They
\nare legislators who should have spoken to me first before talking
\nto the media,\" the governor told reporters at City Hall.<\/p>\n
He also regretted that some newspapers had incorrectly stated
\nthat rehabilitation of five toilets at the zoo had cost Rp 18.7
\nbillion.<\/p>\n
Asked about the bribery issue, Sutiyoso promised to take stern
\naction against his subordinates if they were found guilty of
\nbribing the councillors.<\/p>\n
\"We will take punitive action against them if they are found
\nguilty. If a crime has been committed, it will depend on the
\ncourt to decide what to do,\" Sutiyoso said.<\/p>\n
Councillor Zulkarnain of the United Development Party said
\nthat when Allen had offered the money on Monday he had refused
\nit, as the zoo's official could not explain what the money was
\nfor.<\/p>\n
Zulkarnain suspected the money was intended to buy the silence
\nof councillors who had questioned the zoo's rehabilitation
\nprojects worth Rp 18.7 billion.<\/p>\n
\"The rehabilitation projects had never been discussed before.
\nThat's why we questioned them,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Among the projects were the renovation of five toilets each
\ncosting more than Rp 200 million and five different projects each
\ncosted at Rp 500 million.<\/p>\n
The 2001 city budget allocates Rp 27.5 billion for various
\nprojects in the zoo. For next year, the zoo proposed Rp 55
\nbillion for its projects.<\/p>\n
Separately, Allen denied on Thursday that he had tried to
\nbribe the councillors.<\/p>\n
\"It's slander. I never did that,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Allen admitted though that he had offered the councillors
\nmoney, but he emphasized that it was not a bribe. He said it was
\nlawful and was a fee payment for the councillors, who had been
\ninvolved in the process of land acquisition at Ragunan zoo.<\/p>\n
\"If they don't want the money, it depends on them. But it is
\nlawful and is in accordance with the regulations,\" he said,
\nwithout elaborating.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/governor-urged-to-dismiss-zoo-officials-1447893297",
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