Bagus BT Saragih and Dicky Christanto, Jakarta – House of Representatives Speaker Marzuki Alie called on legislators to reject their newly completed official residences because of the poor construction – allegedly below the required specifications.
"I advise all legislators not to live in the houses but instead make notes on the specification discrepancies they find in the houses for a complaint to the contractor," Marzuki said Tuesday.
The renovation of 495 official legislator residences in Kalibata, South Jakarta, has sparked controversy since the contractor, state-owned PT Adhi Karya, failed to finish the project on time.
The project, worth Rp 445 billion (US$49.4 million), was supposed to be completed on Jan. 1 of this year after a series of delays from the initial projection of September 2010.
No legislator has moved into the renovated houses yet. They were forced to rent houses with a Rp 15 million monthly allowance during the construction.
Teguh Juwarno of the National Mandate Party (PAN) said all the legislators from his party were considering filing an official protest against the House of Representatives secretariat that was in charge on the project.
"The marble for the flooring was made in China and is of bad quality. The paint on the walls was poorly applied and the furniture looked very cheap," he said.
Prosperous and Justice Party (PKS) legislator Bukhori Yusuf agreed with Teguh. "It's very disappointing. They have been asking us to be patient about the delays only to find a subpar house," he said, adding that the homes were "inhumane" because the rooms for domestic workers were very small. "They are so tiny they only fit a bed."
Marzuki has called on the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) to investigate following allegations of corruption and mark-ups in the controversial project. He also suggested the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) investigate.
People have speculated the project was delayed because many parties were seeking the benefits of mark-ups being done on the project. "The BPK and KPK's role will be very important to clear everything up," he said.
House secretary-general Nining Indra Saleh said Tuesday she would be ready if the KPK began an investigation. "As a state official, I must obey the law," she said.
Nining blamed the project delays on the contractors. "PT Adhi Karya and furniture supplier PT Sarijati have been fined because of their failure to meet the deadline," she said, while refusing to disclose the amount of the fines.
The Indonesian Forum for Budget Transparency (FITRA) has found that the project's mark-ups might involve sums worth Rp 97 billion, or 22 percent of the project's total worth.
He said PT PP subcontracted the project to a number of firms. "PT PP was supposed to construct houses with each worth Rp 619 million. But the amount dropped to Rp 152 million a house after being subcontracted. That difference totals Rp 97 billion," Uchok said.
Another controversial House project is the plan to build an office building, slated to begin later this year. The 36-story building will cost Rp 1.31 trillion (US$145.4 million). Nining said the construction was running on schedule.