Govt to build 4,600 houses
Govt to build 4,600 houses
SEMARANG: The government of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono
has set a target of building 4,600 houses within its first 100
days in office, a minister says.
Minister of Public Housing Muhammad Yusuf Asy'ari said the
program was a continuation of the previous government's plan to
construct one million houses. Only 70,000 modest houses had been
built when the transfer of power took place on Oct. 20.
"We will try to meet the target of 200,000 houses in 2005,
with the full support of stakeholders," Yusuf said during his
visit to a housing complex for civil servants and military and
police personnel here.
He said his office would facilitate bank credits and building
licenses for developers, which would help the government provide
housing for middle- and low-income groups. The government will
also ask banks to extend terms of credit. -- JP
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Credit for farmers, SME unpaid
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Credit for farmers,
SMEs unpaid
SURAKARTA, Central Java: Bad debts among farmers and small-
and medium-scale enterprises (SME) have reached Rp 8.7 trillion
(US$966 million), State Minister of Cooperatives and Small and
Medium Enterprises Suryadharma Ali said.
Suryadharma said the government could not just write off the
debts as there were many debtors who had consistently paid their
monthly installments.
"I have learned that some people are regularly paying their
loans in credit, some can no longer afford to pay and the rest
deliberately evade their responsibilities," he said.
He said he would find a solution to the bad debts within his
first 100 days in office. -- Antara
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Rights group wants reshuffle in Poso
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Rights groups want
reshuffle in Poso
JAKARTA: In response to the continuing violence in Poso,
Central Sulawesi, rights groups called on the government to
replace the military commander and police chief in the province,
on the grounds that they had failed to ease the tension there.
The Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence
(Kontras) and human rights watch Imparsial also demanded the
withdrawal of 3,900 security personnel deployed in the restive
area to prevent them from being mired in the protracted conflict.
Two people have been killed in mysterious circumstances in the
past week.
The rights groups also demanded the thorough investigation of
anyone implicated in the violence. -- JP
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Marine corps gets new commander
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Marine corps gets
new commander
JAKARTA: Navy Chief of Staff Adm. Bernard Kent Sondakh
installed on Tuesday Maj. Gen. Safzen Noerdin as the new Marine
corps commander, replacing Maj. Gen. Achmad Rifai.
Safzen, a 1975 graduate of the Navy Academy, served as the
deputy commander of military operations in Aceh during martial
law in the province, between May 2003 and May 2004.
Meanwhile, Achmad, a 1972 graduate of the Navy Academy, has
been appointed as the Navy's inspector general. -- JP.
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Akbar set to contest leadership election
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Akbar ready to
contest election
JAKARTA: In response to the recent challenge posed by his
deputy, Golkar Party leader Akbar Tandjung said on Tuesday he was
ready to contest the party's leadership election next month.
"I leave the matter to the party, but if the majority want me
to run, I'm ready," Akbar said.
Akbar won his first five-year term at the party's helm in
1999, beating former military commander Gen. (ret) Eddie
Sudrajat.
On Monday, Golkar deputy leader Marwah Daud Ibrahim said she
would challenge Akbar in the election and insisted that Vice
President Jusuf Kalla -- who is a Golkar patron -- be allowed to
join the race. -- JP.