kiara.or.id

January 29, 2010
Fidelis E Satriastanti

Lawmakers have added their voices to the growing wave of criticism directed against the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries over its extravagant purchase of a Rp 14.3 billion ($1.53 million) catamaran sailboat from France. 



 

Sudin, a legislator from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) and member of the House of Representatives Commission IV, overseeing maritime affairs and fisheries, said the matter would be raised during a scheduled meeting with the ministry on Monday. 

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We will want explanations regarding this issue because buying a new boat at that price just to monitor coral reefs is too much,” Sudin said. 



 

“We don’t need that kind of boat to do the job.” 



 

The Fisheries Justice Coalition (Kiara), a nongovernmental organization, has blasted the ministry for the purchase of the 15.5-meter-long multihulled sailboat, saying the money used was allocated in the 2008-09 state budget for the repair of six of the ministry’s patrol ships. 



 

Earlier, Aji Soelarso, the ministry’s director for monitoring and surveillance of marine and fisheries resources, said that though the initial cost was high, the wind-powered vessel would bring huge savings on fuel and could be used as a model to build similar ships. 

 



“We are not able to produce this type of sailing ship on our own, so it will also function as a prototype for us in order to make the same type in the future,” Aji said. 



 

But Riza Damanik, coordinator Kiara, insisted that the price of the new ship was far too expensive and the that the money had not been allocated in the budget. 

 



“To protect and save our coral reefs, we don’t need that kind of ship, but we need to stop throwing waste into our seas and oceans, stop using trawls [in shallow seas], and offer more environmental education for people in marine and coastal areas,” he said. 



 

He added that similar sailboats were listed on Web sites at a price of around $900,000.

Source: http://thejakartaglobe.com/news/legislators-to-drop-anchor-on-ministry-for-buying-reef-monitoring-sailboat/355751

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