New Minister Prioritizes on Sunda Straight Bridge  

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Chairul Tanjung promised to prioritize the Sunda Strait Bridge (JSS) mega-project in the next five months. Chairul previously said the project funding could not be sourced from the State Budget, and that the government will look for other sources.

If the project must be funded using non-state budget sources, Chairul will ask for the president's approval. "A Coordinating Minister can not make a decision," he said.

Met at the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Deputy Minister of Public Works Herman Dardak said that the 27.4-kilometer bridge was one of the topics discussed in Chairul's first coordination meeting as a minister. Herman said that the project is still in the stage of technical studies.

The JSS project is still in limbo. In the last coordination meeting, two options were agreed upon: the fund for the feasibility study will sourced from the state budget or by collaborating state-owned enterprises with the consortium initiator. The consortium is led by PT Graha Banten Lampung Sejahtera, which is largely owned by tycoon Tommy Winata. As of today, no decisions have been made.

Chairul replaced Hatta Rajasa who stepped down to focus on his vice-presidential bid as Prabowo Subianto's running mate in July's election.

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