Authorities finish Kemang probe

JAKARTA (JP): The administration has completed an investigation into officials who have violated building permit regulations in Kemang, South Jakarta, and will soon punish the guilty ones.

However, the municipality will not reveal the identities of the guilty officials, Governor Surjadi Soedirdja said yesterday.

"There's no need (to reveal the names)," he told reporters at City Hall.

The most important thing was to show consistency in implementing the city's spatial plan, he said.

"It should be understood by both the public and officials that the city administration is determined to uphold the designated use of land as stipulated in the spatial plan," Surjadi said.

The controversy surrounding Kemang was sparked after Surjadi issued an instruction dated March 18 that all building permits in the area, which is dominated by cafes, restaurants, furniture shops, beauty parlors, clinics and duty free shops, were to be checked.

According to city regulations, only 15 percent of buildings in the area are allowed to be nonresidential.

But the administration data shows that 90 percent of Kemang's buildings are no longer residential. Many businesses operate with housing permits instead of commercial ones.

The governor took the blame for the change of designated use of land saying that it was caused by "much abuse of temporary permits" by city agencies and as a result of poor supervision.

The March instruction said no new permits would be issued until everything was in order. Since then 18 establishments, including cafes, restaurants and furniture shops, have been closed.

Regulations stipulate that businesses need permits from the city's tourism agency, the public order office, the development supervision agency and the local mayoralty office.

On Tuesday, Deputy Governor of Administrative Affairs Idroes said that the punishment of the officials was meant to demonstrate the municipality's consistency in upholding city regulations.

"The city is not only striving to put all buildings in Kemang back in order, but also punish officials who caused the disorder," Idroes said.

The terms of the punishment, he said, would depend on the extend of the officials' involvement.

"Just wait for further progress," Idroes said.

Councilor Saud Rachman of the United Development Party (PPP) supported the city's action.

"Action against undisciplined officials is necessary to avoid the perception that the public is always to blame in cases involving the abuse of permits," said Saud, a member of the Council's Commission D for development affairs.

He also urged the municipality to announce the names of establishments which have illegally run their businesses using housing permits.

The administration is planning to move some Kemang businesses to Kota in West Jakarta as part of its plan to help revitalize Kota and to centralize tourism activities there. (ste)