Jakarta – Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Susi Pudjiastuti insisted on Monday that work on all 17 islets of the Jakarta Bay reclamation project would be stopped as a result of regulatory and environmental issues.
Susi said that as of Monday the government had finished its review of Islet G, being built by PT Muara Wisesa Samudra, a subsidiary of developer PT Agung Podomoro Land (APL), and a review of the other 16 islets would follow in the near future. "The halt will be applied to all [islets] not only islet G," Susi said on Monday.
The reclamation project came into the spotlight when the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) arrested APL president director Ariesman Widjaja for allegedly bribing Jakarta councilor Muhamad Sanusi in order to expedite the issuance of bylaws needed to support the development of the reclamation project. As the investigation progressed, the KPK found that the construction of all 17 islets was marred by irregularities.
Meanwhile, Susi said the government would extend the location permit for PT Tirta Wahana Bali Internasional (TWBI), a company controlled by tycoon Tommy Winata, with regard to the controversial Benoa Bay reclamation project in southern Bali. A location permit is a necessary step in getting an Environmental Impact Analysis (Amdal) for the project.
Susi said the extension was no guarantee that the company would automatically get permission from the government to start the reclamation project because the government would only issue a permit if the Amdal confirmed that it would not pose any environmental risk.