Sarwono against highway project

JAKARTA: A former state minister for the environment has called on the government to cancel the Ladia Galaska highway project in Aceh as it might endanger the lives of Acehnese by damaging the ecosystem on Mount Leuser.

"Please understand the project will only bring harm to many Acehnese people in the future. They will possibly suffer water shortages like those in Java if the project continues," the former minister, Sarwono Kusamaatmaja, who served during the administration of President Soeharto, told a press conference on Friday.

The Ministry of Settlements and Regional Infrastructure signed a contract with a developer on June 3 on the highway project despite opposition from several ministers, non-governmental organizations and the international community.

The development of the 1,586-kilometer project began with a three-kilometer section in Jamat Lokop, East Aceh completed in 1999. It was later postponed for a while after strong opposition, including from the European Union.

The proposed highway starts on the west coast of southern Aceh, passes through Gayo and Alas, and ends on the east coast facing the Straits of Malacca, in North Sumatra.

A section of the road, however, would cut through Mount Leuser National Park, which has been named a world heritage site. The park is home to around 300,000 species. -- JP