Jakarta,
March 6 (Antara) - Although 15 imported Transjakarta buses, including
10 articulated buses, are found to have been damaged and suffering from
corrosion problems, the Jakarta government will continue discussing
plans to import 4,000 more buses, worth Rp5 trillion.
"Though
we have a problem, we will continue our plan to purchase buses,
because it has been included in the Jakarta regional government budget
for 2014 and has been approved by the Jakarta Regional Legislative
Assembly (DPRD)," Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo, better known as Jokowi,
stated here on Thursday.
The buses to be bought include 1,000 two-section Transjakarta buses and 3,000 others buses.
According to GATRAnews online media, the Jakarta governor hoped
industries at home would be able to meet the needs of bus operators for
manufacturing buses to spur domestic industries.
Jokowi said he would not withdraw the plan, even though last year the
purchase of Transjakarta buses faced problems due to damage and
corrosion. "How could we withdraw it? We will go ahead," the Jakarta
governor stressed.
On Tuesday, Jokowi admitted that there was a possible abuse in the
procurement process of the Transjakarta Busway buses last year. "There
is an indication of a deviation. But I do not want to reach a conclusion
before an investigation by the Government's Development Finance
Comptroller (BPKB) is completed," Jokowi stated at the City Hall.
Therefore, he suggested that imported buses should be assembled at home, so they could be checked.
"We will continue our plans to import Transjakarta buses, but if it is
possible we want the buses to be assembled in Indonesia," the Jakarta
governor stated at City Hall on Thursday.
He explained that the assembling of imported buses would be carried out
at home to avoid the repetition of previous Transjakarta bus imports,
which were found damaged by corrosion in their engines.
"If
we assemble them ourselves, we can check them directly to see their
conditions, including whether or not they were still functioning well,"
he said.
The
governor said that even though Jakarta once faced a problem when
importing Transjakarta buses, the Jakarta government would continue its
plan to buy Transjakarta buses, because the budget for the project had
been included in the 2014 Regional Budget Plan.
Until now, the Jakarta governor claimed, he had not known the total
losses suffered from damaged and corroded buses bought for the
Transjakarta Busway fleet. "Let's wait to see the result of the BPKP
auditing," the governor noted. The problem is still under the auditing
of the Government's Development Finance Comptroller (BPKP).
A
total of five Transjakarta two-section buses and 10 others for the
Busway Integrated City Bus Service (BKTB) were found with corrosion. It
was suspected that the causes of the corrosion were the use of second
hand or reconditioned parts.
He said there was an indication of a deviation after an investigation,
which found that a number of the buses' components were damaged.
"I do not want to make any comments, in the first place. Neither do I
want to conclude anything in a hurry. Therefore, I have asked the BPKP
to conduct an audit again and wait until the issue is completely
investigated," the governor remarked.
Jokowi, who is also a former mayor of Solo in Central Java, said he was
ready to appear, if he was summoned by the Corruption Eradication
Commission (KPK). "If I am summoned by the KPK, I am ready to meet it,"
he added.
Further, Jakarta Deputy Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama said his office
will not pay for the purchase of hundreds of Ankai buses, which were
imported from China.
"We
have made a down payment of 20 percent. If the sole importer agent
insists on asking for payment, we will not remain silent," he stressed.
In the meantime, the Jakarta Provincial Inspectorate Office said on
Thursday that it has submitted a report on the results of the
Transjakarta bus examinations to the Government's Development Finance
Comptroller, or BPKP.
"The
Inspectorate Office has submitted its report to the BPKP for further
investigation," the Jakarta Provincial Inspectorate Office Head, Franky
Mangatas Pandjaitan, said on Thursday.
He noted that, based upon its investigation, his office found
indications of losses suffered by the state in connection with the
importation of the corroded Transjakarta buses, yet, he added, he had no
right to carry out further investigations.
"We are tasked only with carrying out examinations and reaching a
conclusion. The party which has the right to decide how much the state
has suffered is the BPKP. Yet, we admit there is a loss to the state in
that case," noted Franky.
Franky also denied allegations by the Jakarta City Residents Forum
(Fakta), which claimed that there was a mark-up in the purchase of the
Transjakarta buses, amounting to Rp53 billion.
"Therefore, in our report which we have handed over to Jakarta Governor
Jokowi, we did not mention a figure on the indication of a deviation,"
Franky remarked.
Transjakarta now has 524 buses traveling 10 routes, serving some 300,000 passengers a day.
Regarding
Jokowi's plan to import buses for Jakarta, though he has said he is
also willing for local industries to manufacture the buses, House of
Representatives (DPR) Chairman Marzuki Alie last month expressed
concern, saying the Jakarta city administration's policy to import
Chinese buses went against its intention to strengthen the domestic
industry.
"Regardless
of whether the buses are damaged or secondhand, the policy is not
favorable for the domestic industry. Neither is it in line with our
objective to build and encourage the domestic industry," he noted last
month.
Marzuki
noted that the country has proven its ability to develop domestic
industries. If the Jakarta city administration is willing to contribute
towards the growth of the national economy, then they should not import
buses.
The policy to import buses reflects the city administration having no
intentions to assist in building the nation¿s economy, he emphasized.
"We
have evaluated the fact that the buses built by the domestic coachwork
industry can technically compete with similar ones produced in other
countries," he claimed.
The domestically produced buses are widely used in Indonesia and
abroad. "Why should we import buses? If we want to develop the domestic
economy, then why should we import buses?" he asked.
Locally-made buses are much better than those imported by the Jakarta city government from China, he noted.
"We are able to manufacture better buses than China. So, I am deeply concerned about this policy," he stated.***2***
(T.A014/INE)
(T.A014/A/BESSR/A. Abdussalam) 06-03-2014 22:19: |
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