The House of Representatives officially accepted PT Bertiga Mitra Solusi’s bid on a curtain replacement tender, valued at Rp 43.5 trillion (US$2.98 million), on Monday. This project, first announced in March, aims to replace old curtains in 505 official residences that house Indonesia's lawmakers. With taxes, each house will be allotted Rp 90 million for new curtains, in a country where the highest regional minimum wage is under Rp 5 million per month.

A total of 49 companies signed up for the tender auction. Out of the three companies that placed their bids, the most expensive one was selected by the lawmakers, raising many eyebrows. Since March, this project has garnered swathes of criticism from both the public and some politicians that consider the budget to be both exorbitant and nonurgent.

Numerous watchdog agencies, as well as some political parties, have publicly stated their curtain-related distrust, adding that the selected company had a questionable background. Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) researcher Wana Alamsyah claimed there was much potential for dishonesty during the bidding process.

Source:
courtesy of THE JAKARTA POST

by Yvette Tanamal (The Jakarta Post)

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