Unit chief resigns under pressure
Leo Wahyudi S, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
As residents of West Kelapa Gading and the developer of a sports mall in the area continue to squabble, the subdistrict's chief of community unit 6, Yacob F. Mulya, has resigned and been replaced by Harry A. Robboth, a retired high-ranking officer of the Army's Special Force (Kopassus).
A number of residents told The Jakarta Post on Monday that Yacob had been pressured and intimidated by people connected to the construction of the sports mall, which is a basketball arena- cum-shopping center.
Residents picked Harry as the new community unit chief four days ago.
"I was chosen because nobody dares to deal with the problem here," Harry said on Monday.
Despite the alleged intimidation and pressure to accept the construction, local residents remain steadfast in their opposition to the sports mall, whose basketball arena would be the largest in Southeast Asia.
A University of Indonesia research center conducted a survey in the area, and out of about 221 respondents only one supported the project.
"It obviously means that most residents oppose the plan," Harry said, adding that construction on the commercial center had been halted for the last week for unknown reasons.
The Indonesian Consumers Foundation, the Indonesian Forum for the Environment and the Legal Aid Institute are among the non- governmental organizations helping residents file complaints against the sports mall developer, PT Satria Mahaka, and the city administration.
One local resident, who asked that his name not be given, said the residents opposed the commercial center because they thought it would result in numerous social problems, including hoodlums operating in the area and traffic jams.
He said residents wanted an educational facility to be built on the plot of land, but they would accept the construction of other facilities as long as they were not a commercial center.
"The land was supposed to be used for a public facility, not a commercial center," he said, adding that he and other residents bought homes in the housing complex partly because it was supposed to have good public facilities.
Harry said residents would continue to oppose the construction. Last month they delivered a notice to the developer and the city administration saying that if construction of the sports mall was not stopped they would take the matter to court.
In a related development, the chairman of Government Watch, Farid R. Faqih, has invited residents of West Kelapa Gading to attend a meeting on Friday with Governor Sutiyoso and Erick Tohir of PT Satria Mahaka to discuss the conflict.