REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Susi Pudjiastuti should stand firm to oppose the controversial reclamation project in Jakarta Bay, which is a national strategic zone, a lawmaker said.

"I am sad to see Mrs. (Minister Susi) returning (the reclamation issue) to us. As a matter of fact, we have given "the ball" to her," Chief of the House of Representatives (DPR) Commission IV Edhy Prabowo said at a working meeting with the minister at the parliament building here on Wednesday.

Member of the House Commission IV Ono Surono, meanwhile, said it is the government that has the authority to stop the project and can coordinate with other institutions if it faces problems to do so.

Susi said the ministry cannot take legal action with regard to the reclamation project, as it is not within the authority of her ministry.

"We conveyed all recommendations (related to the reclamation project) to the president at a cabinet meeting," he said.

At the working meeting on Wednesday, both the House Commission IV and the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry agreed to stop the project. The House Commission IV also asked the ministry to coordinate with the Jakarta provincial government to resolve the problem.

Alan Koropitan, an oceanographer from the Bogor Institute of Technology, stated here recently that from the environmental aspect, the reclamation of 17 islands is not a viable decision, and must be stopped.

Koropitan said he was not opposed to the reclamation plan, as long as it was in keeping with the interests of the public and was beneficial from the social, economic, and the environmental aspects.

In the meantime, Jakarta Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama (Ahok) recently remarked that the 17 reclamation projects in Jakarta Bay can continue, despite the Jakarta Legislative Council having refused to continue deliberations on the draft bylaw regarding the site map of coastal areas and islets in Jakarta Province.

It was noted that developers cannot construct buildings on reclaimed islands, pending the passage of the draft bylaw.

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