Sutiyoso's bigger villa found after demolition

Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso has apparently misled the public by only instructing the demolition of his cheapest villa in Cisarua, implying that it was the only one he had. But in fact he has another luxurious villa in Ciampea, Bogor, which is still intact.

Many officials, including Bogor Council Chief, Endang Kosasi praised Sutiyoso's action. They said that the governor had set a good example among the public and his action should be followed by other villa owners in Bogor regency.

"Sutiyoso's villa has finally been demolished. We respect him for making such a fine example," said Endang, who witnessed the demolition last Saturday.

But Endang apparently did not know that the governor had another one, which was much more luxurious and located on a 25- hectare plot in Ciampea, about seven kilometers from the tourist area of Kawah Ratu in Gunung Bunder.

"Everybody in this area admitted that Sutiyoso's resort home is the most ostentatious one around," a staff member from the forestry agency in Ciampea told The Jakarta Post on Sunday.

Zulkifli, an aide to Sutiyoso, denied that the governor had another holiday home in the area. "He only asked me to demolish this one, he has no other property in this area," he said last Saturday after witnessing the demolition of Sutiyoso's villa in Cisarua.

Beside Sutiyoso's luxurious vacation home, there are other luxurious mansions in Ciampea, including those owned by former mining and energy minister and current Deputy Speaker of the MPR, Ginanjar Kartasasmita, former deputy governor Basofi Sudirman, former minister of tourism, post and telecommunications Joop Ave, former minister of youth affairs Abdul Gafur and Siti Hardiyanti Rukmana, the eldest son of former president Soeharto.

Villas in Bogor, especially in the Puncak area, had been partly blamed for exacerbating the recent flooding because they were built on land that was meant to absorb excess rain water. --JP