TheJakartaPost

Please Update your browser

Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.

Jakarta Post

Shooting range project misfires

Half cock: This July 19 photo shows the shooting venue under construction on Jl

Mustaqim Adamrah and Rizal Harahap (The Jakarta Post)
Sat, August 11, 2012

Share This Article

Change Size

Shooting range project misfires

Half cock: This July 19 photo shows the shooting venue under construction on Jl. Yos Sudarso in Rumbai district. JP/Rizal Harahap

It appears that not only is the construction of the shooting range riddled with bribery allegations, but the Riau Main Stadium, which recently hosted Asian-level soccer matches, has also attracted suspicion of funding irregularities.

The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) announced that while still focusing on the bribery case related to the revision of the 2010 bylaw over the shooting range development, it might go deeper into the Rp 1.118 trillion (US$124 million) stadium project.

“[The investigation into the Riau Main Stadium construction project] may happen, depending on the materials the KPK has,” Spokesman Johan Budi told The Jakarta Post recently.

As many as 13 people, 11 of whom are Riau provincial councilors, have been named suspects in the bribery case revolving around the construction of the shooting range.

Among the suspects are Lukman Abbas, head of the Riau Youth and Sports Agency; Eka Dharma Putra, an official at the Riau Youth and Sports Agency; Rahmat Syahputra, a staff member of state-owned construction firm PT Pembangunan Perumahan; and three Riau councilors, M. Faisal Aswan of the Golkar Party, M. Dunir of the National Awakening Party (PKB) and Taufan Andoso Yakin of the National Mandate Party (PAN). They are either currently standing trial or are facing KPK investigation.

The councilors allegedly received Rp 900 million in bribes for the revision of a 2010 bylaw on the construction of the shooting venue for the National Games.

The passed bylaw channeled additional funds of Rp 20 billion, on top of the Rp 44 billion already allocated in 2010.

“We proposed [a revision to] the bylaw in January, and it was passed on April 3. They said they needed for some sort of ‘overtime pay’. It was third-party money, not from the National Games budget,” National Games committee executive Syamsurizal said.

The Riau administration claimed that the additional budget was necessary to upgrade the venue to international standards as the province is also set to host the Islamic Solidarity Games next year.

The initial plan had the shooting venue moved from its initial location on Jl. Yos Sudarso, Rumbai, Pekanbaru, to the Rumbai Sports Center, because the old site was considered “unsuitable” with it being too close to a vocational school. In an abrupt decision, the plan suffered a U-turn with the shooting venue moving back to its original site.

Although the bylaw has been passed, the financing for the project remains unclear because the Riau Council has yet to legally approve the budget for the shooting venue construction, risking the shooting competition being moved to another province.

Acting Riau Youth and Sports Agency head and National Games committee deputy head on infrastructure and facilities Emrizal Pakis told the Post that the provincial administration at the moment only needed Rp 1.926 billion, out of the Rp 20 billion proposed in the revised bylaw, to make sure “the venue can be used during the games”.

After being halted for some three months in the wake of the bribery case, the construction resumed in July although the work activity has not been as hectic as before while the games draw ever nearer.

Apart from the shooting venue, Riau councilors are watching nervously as the KPK investigates bribery indications in the revision to a 2008 bylaw on the multi-year Riau Main Stadium construction project.

The 2008 bylaw gave additional financing of Rp 218 billion for the project, on top of the Rp 900 billion already disbursed.

However, some Rp 200 billion in spending had been agreed even before the revised bylaw was passed.

The Rp 900 billion actually already surpasses the Rp 830 billion stipulated in the initial contract between the administration and three state-owned construction firms PT Adhi Karya, PT Pembangunan Perumahan and PT Wijaya Karya.

With the additional Rp 218 billion, it means the budget for the construction of Riau Main Stadium, which accommodates 43,000 spectators, amounts to Rp 1.118 trillion, which is far above that budgeted for the construction of the Palaran Main Stadium for the 2008 National Games in East Kalimantan.

The 50,000 capacity Palaran stadium reportedly cost Rp 800 billion in construction while the under-construction Gede Bage Stadium in Bandung, which is designed to hold 60,000 seats, is expected to cost only Rp 495 billion.

 



{

Your Opinion Matters

Share your experiences, suggestions, and any issues you've encountered on The Jakarta Post. We're here to listen.

Enter at least 30 characters
0 / 30

Thank You

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We appreciate your feedback.