Jakarta admits failure to renovate stadium

JAKARTA. The Jakarta administration has admitted failure in its project to renovate the city’s cycling stadium for the 2018 Asian Games, and may surrender responsibility to the central government.

PT Jakarta Propertindo (Jakpro), the company responsible for renovating the arena, has admitted its inability to complete the project as targeted, with several Jakpro directors stepping down.

“When we asked why they were resigning, they said they were giving up,” Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama told journalists at City Hall on Monday.

Ahok expressed his disappointment with Japro, saying it appeared the company had been mendacious from the start, and that he should have been informed as soon as the company realized it would not be able to fulfill its obligations.

As a solution, Ahok is considering handing the project over to the central government.

“We have to report to the central government. If we can’t continue, maybe they’ll take over,” he said.

Jakpro has a history of failure, having recorded poor performances on a number of projects in the capital, such as the light rail transit (LRT) project, development of low-cost apartments, construction of a gas-fueled power plant (PLTG) and land reclamation off the coast of North Jakarta.
(Callistasia Anggun Wijaya)