Home > Indonesia
Behind Closed Curtains: House Interior Project Arouses Suspicion
A view of the House of Representatives plenary hall in the legislative complex in Central Jakarta, on April 12.(Antara/Galih Pradipta)
May 14th, 2022 | 10:04 AM | 495 views
INDONESIA
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)
If you have any stories or news that you would like to share with the global online community, please feel free to share it with us by contacting us directly at [email protected]