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Housing minister gives up house for toll road project

Indonesia Toll Road Authority (BPJT) head Danang Parikesit said Basuki’s eviction was proof that no one was given special privileges, including government officials, in the construction of public facilities.

News Desk (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Thu, May 16, 2019

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Housing minister gives up house for toll road project The house of Public Works and Housing Minister Basuki Hadimuljono in Bekasi, West Java, that will be demolished to make way for the construction of the Bekasi-Cawang-Kampung Melayu (Becakayu) toll road. (Tribun Jakarta/File)

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ike others who have allowed their houses to be demolished for infrastructure projects, Public Works and Housing Minister Basuki Hadimuljono has given up his private house on Jl. Rawa Semut, East Bekasi, West Java, to make way for the construction of the Bekasi-Cawang-Kampung Melayu (Becakayu) toll road.

The head of the Indonesia Toll Road Authority (BPJT), Danang Parikesit, said Basuki’s eviction from his house for the 23.67 kilometers toll road was proof that no one was given special privileges, including government officials, in the construction of public facilities.

“I’m sure this is also his [Basuki’s] expectation,” Danang said as quoted by kompas.com on Wednesday.

Basuki, the man behind the country’s infrastructure projects, revealed the eviction plan in December 2018.

"This is the first time in history that a minister has been evicted [for an infrastructure project]. I told them not to reroute the road. Therefore, I will wait for the compensation," Basuki said.

The ministry’s spokesperson, Endra S Atmawidjaya, said Basuki’s house was located near the Jakarta-Cikampek toll road, and the construction sites of the Jakarta-Cikampek elevated toll road, the LRT project, and the Jakarta-Bandung fast train project.

Endra said Basuki had lived in the house since he returned to the country after his doctoral studies at the University of Colorado, United States, in 1992. After becoming a minister in the Joko “Jokowi” Widodo-Jusuf Kalla Cabinet, Basuki moved to an official residence at Widya Chandra ministry housing complex in Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta.

He added that even though Basuki was a minister, he was still subject to Law No. 2/2012 regarding land procurement for public facilities development.

Former Constitutional Court chief justice Mahfud MD made news of Basuki’s eviction go viral.

He tweeted on his personal Twitter account @mohmahfudmd that Basuki would be evicted even though he was leading the country’s infrastructure projects.

Mahfud compared Basuki to another state official who had asked for an infrastructure project to be rerouted so that their house would not be demolished. (ggq)

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