Governor vows to investigate apartment sales

JAKARTA (JP): Governor Surjadi Soedirdja vows to investigate reports that several apartments built for fishermen in Muara Angke, North Jakarta were sold by the owners.

The governor said yesterday that he takes the reports seriously and will have the case investigated. The sale of the apartments was reported by several local media. He said the city housing agency has not yet reported the matter to him.

"I want to be informed about the matter as soon as possible as selling the apartments is a violation of the regulation. It has also caused losses to the government," Surjadi told reporters.

Surjadi said that according to the regulation, the fishermen are not allowed to sell their apartments because the government built the homes to help them obtain decent, healthy places to live in.

The government, including the city administration, spent much money building the housing, he added.

However, he acknowledged that most of the fishermen face financial problems and could be easily tempted to sell the apartments just to get instant cash.

"It's hard to uphold the regulation if the fishermen have to get money quickly," he said.

It was reported that some of the fishermen needed instant cash to pay off debts, while others sold their apartments merely because of the temptation of high prices.

Surjadi said he is pretty sure that the new owners of the apartments rent them to other people, instead of to house their families.

"This is not right. The government meant to spend all that money for the poor who need better places to live," Surjadi said.

The government has been building the fishermen's housing complex in Muara Angke since 1978, including a low-cost apartment building which was built last year. Up to now there is housing for 1,016 families in the complex. Ninety-six apartments are still under construction.

Donation

President Soeharto inaugurated the low-cost apartments, which were constructed with a donation from the Dana Gotong Royong Kemanusiaan Foundation, last year. The complex has five apartment blocks, with each apartment measuring between 16 and 21 square meters.

Observers said, however, the apartments are too luxurious for the fishermen who are used to living in slums.

The city administration set aside Rp 4 million of its budget to build apartments for fishermen in the hope that they would pay for them in monthly installments.

Occupants of the upper story pay off their apartments in monthly installments of Rp 45,000 (US$20.45) for 15 years, while those on the ground floor pay Rp 55,000 per month. (yns)