NGOs smell graft in Ladia Galaska project

NGOs smell graft in Ladia Galaska project

Nani Farida, The Jakarta Post, Banda Aceh, Aceh

A number of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Aceh called
on the martial law administration on Wednesday to investigate
possible irregularities in the controversial Ladia Galaska
highway project.

The Working Group for Peaceful Aceh Without Corruption --
which consists of four local NGOs -- announced on Wednesday it
had obtained authentic data showing the manipulation of some Rp
30 billion of both state budget (APBN) and regional budget (APBD)
funds earmarked for the project in 2002.

"The audit reports of the APBN and APBD funds allocated for
the project overlapped," said Akhiruddin, a member of the working
group.

The money disbursed by both APBN and APBD for construction of
the 100-kilometer road project reached more than Rp 10 billion.

Governor Abdullah Puteh's 2002 accountability report of the
Ladia Galaska project also indicated corruption in that it
differed from the report submitted by the Ministry of Settlement
and Regional Infrastructure of the same project.

"The governor reported a total of Rp 18.908 billion of the
APBD funds was allocated for the project in 2002, while the
ministry reported a total of Rp 25.72 billion," said Akhiruddin.

Puteh and Minister of Settlement and Regional Infrastructure
Soenarno are avid supporters of the development of Ladia Galaska,
which has drawn strong opposition from the State Minister of the
Environment Nabiel Makarim and Minister of Forestry Mohamad
Prakosa.

Akhiruddin revealed the Aceh administration had used Rp 3.9
billion -- allocated for the Ladia Galaska project -- to finance
other road projects, without an explanation.

Construction of the Ladia Galaska project, which cuts through
protected forest, started two years ago. It is expected that the
project will be finished in 2005. The central government has
allocated Rp 1.5 trillion for the project.

Meanwhile, head of the Indonesian Forum for the Environment
(Walhi) in Aceh Muhammad Ibrahim, said the project had failed to
run to schedule, despite the billions of rupiah the government
had spent.

"There are a lot of irregularities," he said.

So far, some 10 kilometers of road from Lamsemot to Beutong
Ateuh has been finished. The condition of the road, however, is
less than satisfactory, according to Ibrahim.

He revealed a letter from the team set up by the settlement
and infrastructure ministry to monitor the project, which
complained of "intimidation" during the team's time in Aceh.

In another development, the Banda Aceh court heard two
witnesses in Wahli's lawsuit against the road project.

The witnesses, identified as Jamaluddin and Abdullah S.,
admitted they had been aware of roadwork from Jeuram to Beutong
Ateuh in 2002.

Walhi took the government and the Aceh administration to court
for going ahead with the Ladia Galaska project without an
Environmental Impact Analysis (AMDAL), despite the fact that it
cut through protected forest.

"The forestry law requires the President to issue a
regulation, which changes its status from protected forest to
industrial area," Bambang Antariksa, Walhi's lawyer, said.

President Megawati Soekarnoputri gave the green light to the
development of the Ladia Galaska project two months ago, despite
protests from both local and international communities.