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Govt presses on with graft-ridden telephony project
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A technician services a 4G base transceiver station (BTS) tower in Bendungan Hilir, Central Jakarta, on July 13, 2018. (JP/Dhoni Setiawan)
T
he government has said it will carry on with a multi-trillion-rupiah telephony project for underdeveloped regions, despite the arrest of the minister in charge of the scheme on related graft charges and the loss of some Rp 8.1 trillion (US$545 million) of state funds.
Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Mahfud MD said on Monday that the 4G base transceiver station (BTS) construction project would continue so that further state losses could be avoided, as the government had already spent nearly one third of the total budget.
"It is a multi-year project that has been ongoing for [several] years. If the project is terminated, the state will suffer losses," Mahfud said at a press briefing at the Communications and Information Ministry building on Monday.
The completion of the infrastructure project, he added, would support the government's goal of achieving digital equality.
President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo summoned Mahfud to the State Palace earlier on Monday to solicit updates on the situation. He reportedly instructed the minister to press ahead with the construction of the BTS towers in remote regions.
Mahfud is serving as the interim communications minister until the President appoints a definitive replacement for Johnny G. Plate of the NasDem Party, who last week was named a graft suspect and arrested in a case related to the telephony project.
The BTS procurement project is headed by the Telecommunications and Information Accessibility Agency (BAKTI) under the communications ministry and has a total budget of Rp 28 trillion (US$1.8 billion).
