North Sumatra Governor Bobby Nasution Firm on Rejecting Mark-Up Projects

Medan – North Sumatra Governor Bobby Afif Nasution said he rejected signing several project proposals from the North Sumatra provincial government’s Regional Apparatus Organisations (OPD) that were deemed implausible and appeared to be marked up. Since his victory in the North Sumatra gubernatorial election was declared by the General Elections Commission (KPU) some time ago, many parties have approached him trying to secure approval for various projects.

However, some proposals arrived on his desk for signing without being explained transparently. ‘There are people who came to offer congratulations, then asked for my signature. I asked, what is this project? Why is it on my desk all of a sudden?’ Nasution said.

One project highlighted by Nasution was the construction of a physical building with a budget of IDR 484 billion. He said the project had never been presented in detail, neither regarding the concept nor the budget breakdown. ‘The building wasn’t presented, wasn’t exposed; suddenly the request to sign. The value runs into hundreds of billions. I rejected it,’ he said.

He emphasised he does not want to approve projects without a clear assessment, especially if the budget seems overpriced. He said he would be stricter in scrutinising all proposals from OPD to prevent budget waste or project schemes within the North Sumatra provincial government.

‘I do not want to sign if the process is not clear. Everything must be transparent and reasonable,’ he insisted.

Nasution’s stance sends a strong signal to OPDs within the North Sumatra provincial government not to submit projects deemed odd or to rely on political connections to obtain budget approvals. According to Nasution, every development programme must truly benefit the public, not merely spend regional funds.