Construction of office halted

SEMARANG, Central Java: Governor Soewardi agreed last week to postpone the construction of a Rp 9.9 billion (US$1 million) retired civil servants headquarters.

Soewardi said he had to shelve the project indefinitely due to the current economic crisis.

"We must prioritize our funds and efforts to improve people's welfare who are suffering from the crisis," Soewardi was quoted by Antara as saying.

The plan to build the new headquarters for the local Association of Retired Civil Servants (PWRI) received strong opposition from the provincial legislative body and environmentalists last year.

Critics said it was a waste of money. The governor, however, insisted that PWRI urgently needed a better office. (prb)