Governor Sutiyoso admits failure
Ahmad Junaidi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
City Governor Sutiyoso admitted guilt on Thursday over his failure to anticipate the recent floods that paralyzed the city for almost a week and promised to take stern actions against violators of zoning regulations, including Pantai Indah Kapuk developer.
During a hearing with House of Representatives Commission II dealing with law and human rights, he also acknowledged his administration's environmental mismanagement, which was one of the causes of the worst flooding in the city's history recently.
"We apologize for our failure to anticipate the flooding. Our limited finances have rendered us unable to tackle the problem thoroughly," he said.
He agreed to demolish a golf course in the luxurious Pantai Indah Kapuk housing complex in North Jakarta and convert it into a dam to control flooding.
"This golf course, and other golf courses in the city, will be demolished if they violated the regulations," he noted.
He said the administration was investigating legal avenues that would allow it to avoid a lawsuit from the housing complex developer, which had secured permits from the previous government.
The housing complex, which was built by developer PT Mandara Permai, is believed to be the cause of recent floods in the area, including on the Soekarno-Hatta toll road. PT Mandara Permai is jointly controlled by Ciputra and Sudono Salim.
Built in a water catchment area and mangrove swamp in the 1990s, the residential development obtained permits from the ministry of forestry, the city administration and the ministry of environment at the time.
Legislator J.E. Sahetapy supported the demolition of the 18- hole golf course, saying that the governor should not be afraid of the developer.
"The houses in the complex are probably difficult to demolish, but the golf course can be changed into a dam," Sahetapy of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle said in the hearing.
Developer PT Mandara Permai has been the target of criticism from the public and environmentalists recently due to the complex's supposed role in routine flooding in the area.