West Java Governor Demands Sanctions for Officials Over Bandung Tree Felling Scandal

West Java Governor Dedi Mulyadi has weighed in on the recent felling of 10 trees on Jalan LL RE Martadinata, commonly known as Jalan Riau, in Bandung, insisting that local officials must face sanctions alongside the direct perpetrators. He argued that the sub-district head, the village chief, and the head of the Environmental Agency should all be penalised for negligence and allowing the incident to occur. “It means the village chief gets sanctioned, the sub-district head gets sanctioned, the environmental agency head gets sanctioned. It implies there was negligence, there was omission. How can someone cut down 10 trees without being noticed?” he said during an inspection of the Gedung Sate-Gasibu square renovation project on Monday. He deemed it illogical for the Bandung City Government to claim ignorance of the mastermind behind the felling, given that Jalan Riau is a busy thoroughfare frequently patrolled by various officers. “There are officers there, street sweepers, supervisors, Satpol PP passing by every day, Transportation Agency staff, the Village Chief, the Sub-district Head, the neighbourhood and community unit heads,” he stated. He urged that strict sanctions be applied internally so that Bandung City employees develop a love for their city. The perpetrators of the tree felling face a maximum prison sentence of three years and a fine of IDR 3 billion. The felling is strongly suspected to be linked to the opening of a padel court and café business located behind the area where the trees stood. “Looking at the law, based on the Satpol PP report, it could be a criminal offence carrying more than three years, if I am not mistaken, of imprisonment. The fine is more than three billion,” said Bandung Mayor Muhammad Farhan on Monday. He noted that the Bandung City Satpol PP is nearly finished with its investigation into the felling of the 10 trees. Farhan stated that the violation is not merely a breach of local regulations but could also contravene the Environmental Protection Law. “Regarding law enforcement and who is involved, I cannot yet say who, as that would be too speculative. But the next question is, what will the city government do to address this issue,” he said. He confirmed that he and the relevant agencies will repair the pavement and reorganise the area so it can be replanted. The replanting must use semi-mature trees, not seedlings. Farhan said there is a strong suspicion that the tree felling was related to the business interests in the building behind the site. His office is currently investigating the permits for that business premises. “Looking at the report briefly, it is not yet complete. There are still several permits that are in process or have not been processed at all,” he said. He added that if the tree felling is prosecuted under local regulations, the penalty requires replacing one felled tree with 100 seedlings and a fine of IDR 10 million, which constitutes a minor criminal offence. “Tomorrow we will hold a coordination meeting to handle this issue, and we will announce the results,” he said. He pledged to take firm action if any civil servants are found to be involved.