Walhi Criticizes Anies Baswedan over Reclaimed Island Permit

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) voiced its criticism against Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan for issuing the building permit (IMB) for buildings in reclaimed islands.

"We tend to say that Jakarta Governor's reason to issue IMB is likely far-fetched," said Walhi Jakarta executive director Tubagus Soleh Ahmadi in Walhi National Executive office on Monday, June 17, 2019.

Soleh asserted that the legal basis used by the city administration to issue IMB for buildings in D Island or Pantai Maju was not appropriate. The legal basis in question was a Gubernatorial Decree (Pergub) No. 206/2016 on the Plan of Coastal Zoning of Island C, D, and E resulted from the reclamation project in North Jakarta Bay.

Soleh recalled that Anies had revoked the draft bill on reclamation. "The question is if he said that the draft bill [raperda] was problematic, so why he didn't revoke Pergub 206/2016," he added.

Soleh argued that the Pergub, which was drafted in the era of Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, also known as Ahok, was problematic considering activities in the reclaimed island had been running before the regulation issued on October 25, 2016.

According to Soleh, Anies had a choice to revoke the regulation and not issue IMB in D Island. Therefore, Walhi urged Anies to halt all construction activities in the reclamation island.

As reports suggested, IMB with a registration number 62/C.37a/31/-1.785.51/2018 on behalf of Kapuk Naga Indah, the developer of D Island, had been issued since November 2018. On his written explanation, Anies Baswedan said that he had no other choice because of the gubernatorial decree issued by Ahok, and that the developer had also paid a sanction over the violation.

LANI DIANA WIJAYA