Civil servants duped

Civil servants duped

From Merdeka

Minister of Transmigration Siswono Yudohusodo has reported to President Soeharto the scam by a number of housing developers for civil servants who have made down payments for houses. (Merdeka, Dec. 17).

The duped customers are from Siswono's ministry and the National Family Planning Board. With Rp 1 million per head, the money collected reached Rp 2.5 billion.

With these funds there is no valid reason for the developers to postpone construction of the very simple houses. The minister is surprised that the developers work together with the Workers Cooperative, an organization supervised by the Jakarta Administration. The organization is known for its achievements in building low-cost and simple houses.

I trust that Minister Siswono, a former state minister of public housing, will settle the matter to everybody's satisfaction.

This case should serve as a warning to prospective buyers, who would do well to exert caution if a down payment is required for houses still to be constructed.

AJI SAMIAJI

Jakarta