Sanitation agency head admits to irregularities
Bambang Nurbianto and Ahmad Junaidi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The alleged corruption scandal in the City Sanitation Agency showed a fresh development on Monday when the agency's head Slamet Limbong admitted that there had been irregularities in the purchase of 10 waste incinerators.
Limbong said that PT Tompuro Jaraindo won the "tender" last year as the contractor to purchase and install the incinerators. The Rp 3.2 billion project was handed over to the agency on Dec. 12, 2001, a few months before Limbong was appointed to lead the agency.
Until today, however, none of them has been operational. According to the agency, six of the incinerators have been ready for tryouts while four others have not yet been connected to the electricity supply.
"The tryout of the waste incinerators is expected to take place on June 14," Limbong stated here on Monday, adding that his agency would carry out further investigations over the irregularities.
He showed journalists a copy of a statement from PT Tompuro Jaraindo, signed by its director, Pandapotan Gultam, without date or file reference, expressing his readiness to finish the project. Another statement had been signed by the company's lawyer, Freddy L. Tobing, saying that completion of the project would be on June 14.
The scandal allegedly involves Limbong's predecessor Saksono Soehodo, who was dismissed by Governor Sutiyoso over his failure to handle the garbage problems in the city.
Poor garbage management is one of the most serious problems in the city, which contributed to the devastating floods that hit the city earlier this year.
The city has recently signed separate agreements with an Australian company and one from the U.S. to manage the waste.
The incinerator scandal was revealed last week by councillors from Commission D for development affairs. They questioned the "tender" made by the agency for the incinerator project, and the qualifications of PT Tompuro, which won. The councillors found that the company had used a fake address, that of a boarding house.
There was also an allegation that certain councillors might be involved in the scandal, which was denied by Limbong on Monday.
On Monday afternoon, workers and technicians of PT Tompuro were busy completing the installation of an incinerator in Petamburan subdistrict, Tanah Abang, Central Jakarta.
Several people living near the incinerator station said that the machine had been placed there only recently.
"As far as I'm aware, it was only placed there one or two months ago," said a man.
Field supervisor of the company Agus denied that the incinerator had been purchased and placed there solely due to media attention on the alleged scandal. He claimed that the work had been ongoing since early this year.
"It's only a regular check, part of our commitment," Agus told The Jakarta Post.
Separately, deputy chairman of City Council Commission C for budgetary affairs FX Marsiadi urged the city inspectorate to investigate the scandal.
He said that even though it was claimed that the incinerators had been bought last month, that was still not in conformity with the procedure. As the funds were allocated last year, the incinerators should also have been bought last year, said Marsiadi from the Indonesian Military (TNI)/Police faction.