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ontroversy over the continuation of Jakarta Bay reclamation hit a new twist when Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Susi Pudjiastuti issued a new statement that appeared to cheer members of the public.

Some members of the public have demanded the government delay the projects, worth hundreds of trillions of rupiah, until all legal and environmental hurdles were settled.

During a discussion held by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) on Tuesday, Susi emphasized that the projects must be managed in a way that would bring greater benefit to the public and that the government should handle the projects, not private companies.

“The President’s instructions on the case are clear: that it [reclamation] should not harm the environment or local fishermen, must bring greater benefit to the public, and the solution must not violate other laws. We are waiting for the environment ministry to release the results of the environmental analysis on the projects,” Susi said.

Susi’s superior, Coordinating Maritime Affairs Minister Luhut Pandjaitan, earlier said that all legal and environmental problems had been solved and the reclamation projects could recommence, but the outspoken Susi, who has final say on the continuation of the reclamation projects, emphasized that whether the projects were resumed depended on the final result of an environmental impact analysis (Amdal) that was being carried out by the Environment and Forestry Ministry.

Luhut’s September statement outraged some members of the public, including fishermen of North Jakarta who said they would lose their livelihoods as a result of the construction of 17 man-made islets in the reclamation area, and activists, who accused Luhut of being pro-developers for giving the go-ahead to the reclamation project, which contradicted a decision by his predecessor Rizal Ramli, who was a staunch opponent of the projects.

Luhut announced his decision, which defied a court ruling ordering a halt to the reclamation projects, just a couple of weeks after he took the helmet from Rizal, who earlier ordered a halt to the projects.

Susi’s office is in charge of issuing location permits on reclamation proposals. After receiving such a permit, developers submit a proposal to the environment ministry for an Amdal to be conducted.

If the Amdal states that a project will not harm the environment of nearby communities, the fishery ministry issues a reclamation permit.

Susi and Environment and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya Bakar are also waiting for the National Development Planning Board (Bappenas) to complete a study on the reclamation project, the result of which will be submitted to the President along with the Amdal result.

Speaking at the discussion, Siti acknowledged that the government had failed to play its role as mediator to encourage communication between stakeholders in the projects and local fisherfolk in North Jakarta.

“Reclamation is allowed as long as it can improve social and economic standing and helps with natural disaster mitigation,” Siti said, adding that the ministry would report any procedural violations it found by developers in the Amdal process.

Meanwhile, KPK commissioner La Ode Muhammad Syarief said that during a meeting with President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo on April 27, the President agreed with KPK chairman Agus Rahardjo that Presidential Decree No. 52/1995 on reclamation projects in Jakarta Bay conflicted with several regulations.

“Thus, it is important to issue a new presidential decree to overcome the hurdles,” La Ode said.