Hoarding of medicine at Batam condemned

Fadli, The Jakarta Post, Batam

A corruption watchdog and an alliance of student associations called on both the Batam Legislative Council and the government prosecutor's office to investigate corrupt and collusive practices in the municipal administration, allegedly involving a local senior official.

Batam Corruption Watch (BCW) and the Alliance of Student Executive Bodies (BEM) questioned why both the legislature and the prosecutor's office had kept silent about reports of corruption involving the local health office.

Husbandri, head of the investigative section of BCW, said the hoarding of generic drugs and medical equipment at the local office which was revealed by councillors recently was strong enough evidence for the two institutions to launch an investigation.

"BCW will report the case to the Attorney General's Office and the central government if it is not investigated," he said here over the weekend.

Last Monday, several councillors revealed that generic drugs and medical equipment worth Rp 3 billion were being hoarded at the local health office's storehouse. According to the local administration's 2002 budget, the drugs and medical equipment should have been distributed to nine public health centers on the island.

Husbandri said the hoarding of the medicine and medical equipment was linked to the supply of medicine to clinic and pharmacy Vitka belonging to Batam Deputy Mayor Asman Abnur.

"BCW has strong evidence that a part of the medicine and medical equipment in the clinic and dispensary are supplied by the local health office," he said.

Muhammad Yasin, a councillor of the local chapter of the National Mandate Party, said the prosecutor's office should also investigate the hoarding of medicine along with the appointment of the deputy mayor's sister and other relatives in strategic positions at the health office.

He said that the top post in the health office was occupied by Puardi Djarius, the deputy mayor's brother-in-law while his wife Zas Juniarti, also Asman's sister, controlled the drug and food section at the health office. Afriani, Asman's younger sister, occupies the family health and campaign section in the same office.

Ispandir, chairman of BEM, said the organization's executive board would hold a hearing with the city legislative council to submit their demands for the investigation into the corruption and collusion at the health office.

"We will exert pressure on the city authorities to investigate the case thoroughly," he said.

Hartoyo Sirkoen, spokesman for the city administration, rejected the accusations of corruption, collusion and nepotism against the deputy mayor, saying that not only the deputy mayor's relatives but President Megawati Soekarnoputri's children also had the same rights as other citizens to work anywhere they chose to.