Road contractors blame shoddy work on official corruption<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Private road contractors working for the city
\nadministration told The Jakarta Post yesterday they have to
\nconstruct substandard roads because of three factors: Bribery,
\nbad timing and theft.<\/p>\n
\"After winning the tender, we have to pay 'administration
\nfees' of about Rp 15,000 (US$6.9) to Rp 25,000 to every desk
\nwhich processes the contract,\" said Hendro, who requested his
\nreal name be withheld.<\/p>\n
But the largest cut is taken in the \"thank-you fees\" they have
\nto give the project leaders, the size of which is weighted to the
\ncontractors projected profit.<\/p>\n
\"For a Rp 50 million profit, for instance, we usually let
\nproject leaders take Rp 15 million to Rp 20 million. If the
\nprofit is smaller, say, Rp 30 million, we could usually afford Rp
\n5 to Rp 6 million,\" said Hendro.<\/p>\n
\"Sometimes project leaders insist on larger portions and as a
\nresult, we have to lower the road quality by reducing the
\nmaterials,\" said Zulkifli, who also requested an alias.<\/p>\n
Zulkifli added that project leaders often ask for their share
\nprior to the projects completion.<\/p>\n
Another reason for the low quality of roads is that
\ncontractors have to begin road repairs or construction as soon as
\ntheir contracts are approved, even in the rainy season, which
\nslows down the pace of work.<\/p>\n
\"We have to speed up project completion at the cost of quality
\nbecause we are afraid of not meeting the deadline and being fined
\nwhile our jobs are often interrupted by the rain,\" Hendro said.<\/p>\n
He also said that their stockpiles of material in temporary
\nstorage for projects, particularly in Tanjung Priok, North
\nJakarta, are often stolen.<\/p>\n
\"The thieves not only steal cement, but sometimes also take
\naway the roofs and windows of the storehouse,\" Hendro said,
\nadding that paying security guards would cost more than the
\nlosses from the theft.<\/p>\n
Contradiction<\/p>\n
Both contractors were responding to the statements of city
\ncouncilors, who on Tuesday said that premature road damage in,
\nendemic to the city, is a reflection of the incompetence of the
\nroad contractors.<\/p>\n
M.H. Ritonga, the head of the City Council, said he found it
\nhard to believe that rainfall alone accounts for the bad
\nconditions on city roads.<\/p>\n
The councilors' statements were in contradiction to those of
\nH. Soeharto, the head of the city public works office, who told
\nthe Post Wednesday that flooding, not workmanship, is to blame
\nfor road damage .<\/p>\n
\"One week of downpour or inundation is, of course, enough to
\ndamage roads,\" Soeharto said.<\/p>\n
According to Soeharto, the unfinished city drainage system is
\nthe biggest problem, and until floods are prevented the roads are
\ngoing to continue to bear signs of the onslaught.<\/p>\n
When asked why his office does not improve road lifespan by
\nattending to problems, Soeharto said that the city
\nadministration's budget for road maintenance is limited.<\/p>\n
According to the 1993\/94 city budget, the amount allocated for
\nthe maintenance of roads, bridges and other infrastructures is Rp
\n7 billion ($3.2 million). (06)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/road-contractors-blame-shoddy-work-on-official-corruption-1447899208",
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