New ring road partners sought

New ring road partners sought

Ahmad Junaidi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

City Governor Sutiyoso told city-owned developer PT Jakarta
Propertindo (Jakpro) on Thursday to replace its partners, who
were related to former President Soeharto's family, in the
delayed Jakarta Outer Ring Road (JORR) toll road project.

"I advised them to cancel their (partnership with) old
partners and find new partners. So many firms want to work on
this project," Sutiyoso told reporters at the city hall.

But the governor underlined that Jakpro would continue with
the Rp 4 trillion (US$400 million) project.

"The project would be profitable for the company and would add
to the city's revenue," he remarked.

During a hearing with Jakpro on Wednesday, the council urged
the company to quit the project, saying that it would only be
used by their current partners, who were allegedly linked to
Soeharto's eldest daughter Siti Hardiyanti Rukmana, popularly
known as Tutut.

Tutut's company built several toll roads in the country during
the period of her father's presidency, but the company is
currently banned from entering the JORR toll project tender.

Councillor Audi I.Z. Tambunan of the Indonesian Democratic
Party of Struggle accused Jakpro's current partners of having
links to Tutut.

"We feared that the project would only be used for money
laundering by Soeharto's family," Audi told reporters.

He also said he regretted the company's refusal to reveal its
partners.

The company said it could not reveal its partners as it was
part of a requirement of the 69.3-kilometer toll road project
tender.

Jakpro has passed a preliminary tender, along with a Malaysian
Consortium and an Italian consortium.

Tutut's firm PT Citra Marga Nusapala Persada (CMNP) last month
filed a lawsuit against the Ministry of Settlement and Regional
Infrastructure at the Jakarta Administrative Court for
prohibiting the company from joining the project.

The project's tender process is being delayed due to the
lawsuit.