Councillor reports activist for defamation

Councillor reports activist for defamation

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

A Bekasi councillor from the Indonesian Democratic Party of
Struggle reported an activist to the police on Friday for
defamation following the later's claim that the local party had
accepted a bribe of Rp 1 billion.

The party's Bekasi chapter chairman Muchtar Muhammad reported
the chairman of the Environmental Community Union, Benny Tunggul,
to Bekasi Police after he accused the party of taking the bribe
from developer PT Karsindo Utama.

"We have never accepted any bribe. It's not true," Muchtar,
who was accompanied by a party lawyer, Trimedya Panjaitan, was
quoted by Antara as saying.

Benny earlier told reporters that PT Karsindo bribed the party
in an effort to secure the council's approval for the developer's
plan to build a super mall located near the West Bekasi toll
gate.

He claimed that some Rp 750 million was being kept by the
Bekasi chapter treasurer while the remaining Rp 250 million was
kept personally by Muchtar.

Muchtar, whose party makes up the largest faction on the
council, claimed that the development of the mall was approved by
Bekasi regency in 1997, and that this approval had been extended
in May 2002.

"I was not a councillor in 1997," he said without saying
whether his faction had played a role in extending the approval.

Muchtar and local party treasurer Rista Dewi claimed that they
had never even met the developer's executives

Since last year, Bekasi councillors have frequently criticized
the planned development, which it is claimed will be the biggest
mall in South East Asia.

They argued that the development of the mall would worsen
traffic congestion around the toll road exit, and cause
environmental damage.

The environmental organization said the location of the mall
should be employed for building a dam to prevent the floods that
frequently inundate Bekasi.

But since the extension of the mall approval, no further
criticism has been heard from the councillors.

The developer has also denied the bribery allegation.