Sutiyoso's bigger villa found after demolition

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