Governor Sutiyoso, Latief defend land-swap deal

Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Governor Sutiyoso has softened his stance on a land-swap deal involving state SMP 56 junior high school in prestigious Melawai, South Jakarta, asking parents and students opposed to the deal to move out.

"We have prepared a vacant classroom for them at the nearby SMP 12, only 200 meters from the location. If they reject the offer, they can chose any school they want and we will arrange their transfer," he said.

Sutiyoso was speaking at a joint media conference with the owner of developer PT Tata Disantara and former minister of manpower, Abdul Latief. The news briefing was held after a closed-door meeting at the governor's office.

He said his administration backed the land-swap deal because cancellation of the deal would spell greater trouble as 1,400 students who had been transferred to new schools at Jeruk Purut and Bintaro, both in South Jakarta, would have to be relocated again.

In the media briefing, Latief expressed disappointment with public opinion concerning the 2001 deal between the Ministry of Education and his company, saying the negative opinion had tarnished his image as well as that of his company.

"I'm offended that the media has implied that I intend to build a shopping center to replace a school at the location, which is now in dispute. It's simply not true," he remarked.

He asserted that he wanted to build a school for business and management at the site, which is close to his Pasaraya Grande shopping mall.

"I closed my business and management institute in Jeruk Purut in the hope that I could open it at the new location in Melawai. But with this ongoing dispute, I don't know when the institute will reopen," he deplored.

"I was surprised to hear that protesters had even staged a rally outside Pasaraya," he lamented.

The land deal sparked protest among SMP 56 students, parents and teachers, who argued that the deal had been made without their consent.

They lodged a civil suit with the South Jakarta District Court in an effort to have the deal annulled, but the case was thrown out of court in December. They then appealed to the Jakarta High Court.

Late last month, the students, parents and teachers sought protection from the National Commission on Human Rights following the city's plan to evict them.

Latief said that prior to making a final decision to cancel the deal, he had asked the city administration to settle the problem. However, he did not say whether he had given a deadline to the administration to settle the protracted dispute.