Govt urged not to hire dodgy contractors

JAKARTA (JP) A member of the City Council urged yesterday the City Administration to choose contractors, to build city projects, based on their performance, which will prevent poor quality buildings.

Saud Rahman of Commission D, which is in charge of development, said contractors with poor records should not be chosen.

He made the remarks in response to the poor condition of the new office building of the Central Jakarta mayoralty (not the South Jakarta mayoralty as was reported in this page yesterday), even though it has only been in use since April.

Central Jakarta Mayor Abdul Kahfi (not the South Jakarta mayor) said on Wednesday that sections of the new five-story office building of the Central Jakarta mayoralty have not functioned properly due to the poor quality of building materials.

The office building, on a 5,000-square-meter plot of land, was constructed by a private developer, who took nine years to build it.

The building has broken floor tiles, leaking ceilings and poorly installed elevators, as well as faulty plumbing in the restrooms.

Saud said that the city administration must not hesitate to ask the contractor to be responsible for the poor condition. "The developer must be responsible for the repairs of the building," he told The Jakarta Post in his office. (32)