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