Developer told to keep word on facilities

JAKARTA (JP): Residents of Pondok Pinang subdistrict in South Jakarta complained to the City Council on Wednesday that PT Metropolitan Kencana, the developing of the Pondok Indah luxury housing complex had not given them the social facilities it pledged 20 years ago.

Ten of their representatives, who were received by members of the United Development Party (PPP) faction, said they could no longer be patient as struggled for their rights for a long time.

About 10,000 local families were evicted from a 450-hectare plot of land in 1971 and 1972 to make way for the development of the Pondok Indah housing complex by Metropolitan Kencana, a joint venture company owned by, among others, business tycoons Sudono Salim, Sudwikatmono, Ciputra and Budi Brasali.

Junaidi Abdillah, the head of the Pondok Pinang social activities group, said that the 450 hectares of land also included seven hectares belonging to local residents.

The seven-hectare plot was given by the residents to the developer in the hope that the latter would compensate them by building social facilities like a mosque and school buildings, Junaidi said.

He admitted the company had developed a mosque, an elementary and junior and senior high school buildings in separate locations covering a total area of five hectares, he said.

"But the company later submitted the facilities to the Pondok Mulia foundation, which is chaired by Sudwikatmono, instead of handing them over to the residents.

"The company never fulfills its obligation. It is just a capital transfer inside the company," Junaidi said.

He said the residents started to struggle for their rights in 1978, by sending complaints to the city governor, the developer and City Council and the former Ministry of People's Housing, he said.

The last complaint was made on June 29. "However, none of the complaints have been acted on. We don't know which institutions are willing to listen to our complaints. We are a weak party who is facing a giant business group," he said.

During the meeting with the PPP faction members, the representatives also threatened to demolish Metropolitan Kencana's office as the firm had continuously ignored their demands.

"A plan to destroy the building has frequently been discussed by the people, especially the youths.

"But, we were able to prevent them from doing so by telling them that their acts would not only hurt the company but Pondok Pinang residents as well. But I am afraid that this will prevent the destruction much longer if the developer does not soon fulfill its promise," said Zein Mudjid, one of local youth activists.

"We will fight for our rights till the end of our lives," said a local Islamic teacher, Marzuki Halim, in a trembling voice.

The head of the PPP faction, Achmad Suaidy, promised to help settle the case by inviting the management of Metropolitan Kencana to ask for clarification as soon as possible. (ind)