City official to be questioned over illegal billboard

City official to be questioned over illegal billboard

JAKARTA (JP): City Planning Agency chief Ahmadin Ahmad will be
questioned soon by the City Officials Honorary Council for his
alleged role in granting permission to erect a giant billboard in
a restricted zone, an official said on Monday.

City Inspector Hendarmin Ono Saleh said Ahmadin, who is
presently on holiday with his family in the United States, would
be questioned shortly after he arrived home from his vacation.

Hendarmin said Ahmadin would have known that erecting
billboards in restricted areas was against the law and he was
prohibited from accepting money for the billboard permits he
issues.

"There is no such thing. Those who want permits only need to
pay the tax. It's possible to bring the city planning agency
chief before the council on this," he said.

Hendarmin was referring to the large billboard advertising a
well-known toothpaste brand on Jl. Sisingamangaraja in South
Jakarta, which has been widely reported in local newspapers over
the past few days. Gubernatorial Decree No. 702/1992 clearly
stipulates that the street is one of six in the capital to be
free of billboards.

The billboard, measuring 10 meters by 20 meters, was erected
last month. The company paid its 2000/2001 fee, amounting to Rp
109,500,000 (US$11,526), to the City Revenue Agency.

An executive at the advertising company PT Cinggar Indo Galba
said the firm decided to erect the billboard in the restricted
zone since it had given extra money to the Jakarta Soccer
Association (Persija).

The company president, Kemal, said recently that he received a
recommendation to place the billboard at its present location
from Ahmadin, who is also a Persija official, after paying the
money to the association.

Kemal, however, did not disclose the precise amount given or
"how or to who" at Persija received the money.

It is commonly known that the City Planning Agency has been
"used" to provide funds for Persija as many city officials are
also executives of the soccer association.

Meanwhile, City Revenue Agency chief Deden Supriyadi said he
had ordered his staff to take down the disputed billboard on
Monday afternoon at the latest.

"I've signed the order to take down the billboard because the
governor has told us to take it down and return the tax money,"
Deden said.

Separately, vice chairman of the Indonesian Outdoor
Advertisement Companies Association (AMLI) Gunadi Soekemi told a
news conference that the billboard on Jl. Sisingamangaraja was
not the only one illegally erected in the capital.

Gatot said others included a giant billboard of a famous
cigarette brand in front of the Hilton International Hotel on Jl.
Gatot Subroto, which is on government property and is forbidden
by law.

AMLI chairman Gatot Teguh Ariffianto said the city's
inconsistency in issuing permits to advertising companies had led
to disorderliness.

"Such inconsistency has created unhealthy competition (among
advertising companies)," Gatot said.

He said the practice led to high costs and an increasing
number of brokers, instead of real advertising agencies.

He said about 10 percent of the hundreds of billboard
advertising companies in the capital were acting only as agents
for other companies to get permits from the city since they knew
the officials.

Gunadi said the agents' practice had smeared the image of
billboard advertising companies.

"If this practice continues, we'll lose our pride in the
profession," Gunadi said.

Gatot, however, questioned the basis which was used by the
city to decide which streets would be free of billboards.

"The government should involve us (advertising companies) the
next time they make regulations on this matter," Gatot
said.(dja/jaw)