Graft uncovered in dam project
Yuli Tri Suwarni, The Jakarta Post, Bandung, West Java
The Bandung Legal Aid Institute (LBHB) claims to have uncovered corruption in the Rp 8 trillion (US$963.8 million) Jatigede Dam project in Sumedang, West Java.
LBHB director Wirawan alleged here on Thursday that a private company and officials from the resettlement and regional infrastructure ministry were involved in the corruption. He said the institute would submit a report on the matter to the National Police for investigation.
He said his team uncovered the alleged corruption during a fact-finding inquiry into the acquisition of land for the dam in two villages in Sumedang regency last year by the private company and a nine-member team from the ministry.
"The private company and the team embezzled at least Rp 5 billion of the money earmarked to compensate residents of Cisurat and Cibuluh villages for their land.
"The central government released Rp 3.8 billion for land acquisition in Cisurat village, but villagers received only a total of Rp 100 million. In Cibuluh, the government released Rp 1.4 billion to acquire 105 hectares of land, but no residents have yet to receive compensation," he said.
He added that the agriculture ministry disbursed Rp 1 billion for social facilities in the villages but only Rp 58 million reached residents.
Wirawan and his team speculated that compensation funds for other villages may also have been embezzled. The dam project affects more than 20 villages in the regency.
He said the resettlement and regional infrastructure ministry provided compensation not only for land, but also for buildings, crops and animals, but the value was far below what had been agreed to by the local administration and residents.
The ministry has so far acquired more than 50 percent of the almost 4,900 hectares of land required for the project.
Wirawan said that besides the alleged corruption, his team also found that the human rights of residents had been violated by being given misleading information on the project and in some cases being forced off their land.
According to the results of the institute's investigation, the dam project, which is expected to be able to irrigate more than 130,000 hectares of farmland in the northern part of the province, will affect more than 41,000 people or 7,163 families
Wirawan said the government should suspend the project until the alleged corruption was resolved and the government had provided clear information on the dam to avoid any confusion or social unrest.
The project began in 1980 when a company began mapping out the areas that would be affected by the dam. The project remained in the planning stages for years, and then, with the help of the local police, project developers began contacting residents to inform them of the impending construction.
"The people were asked to sign an agreement for the project. Now the project is still a potential source of conflict because hundreds of people who were resettled to Garut have returned to their villages because the substitute land proved to be barren," he said.
West Java Governor Danny Setiawan said he was not well- informed on the details of the alleged corruption.
"I will seek more detailed information on the alleged corruption," he said.
However, he did say that the government would go ahead with the dam project, which many regents had urged the government to speed up to prevent water shortages during the dry season and flooding during the rainy season.
The dam will play an important role in maintaining rice production in the rice-belt regencies of Krawang, Subang, Sumedang, Indramayu and Cirebon, he said.
He added that land acquisition for the project would be completed by the end of this year, so construction could begin in early 2005.