'Bappenas must be dissolved'

PURWOKERTO, Central Java (JP): Former finance minister Fuad Bawazier called on the government on Monday to dissolve the National Development Planning Board (Bappenas) because it had failed to carry out its function.

He said Bappenas had pushed the government to obtain overseas loans to finance the development of its projects, many of which were not correctly planned and had consequently failed in their implementation.

"Bappenas has simply squandered government funds. The government has lost between 30 percent and 50 percent of the loans it got from overseas to finance Bappenas' faulty projects," Fuad said on the sidelines of a seminar on the economy held at Gen. Soedirman University, Purwokerto.

Fuad said Bappenas had failed in its role, namely to design and determine appropriate projects to support the country's development plan.

He alleged that some of Bappenas' development projects were designed to benefit certain groups of companies. (45/cst)