We don’t think the trees they want to purchase are made of gold, but that’s the only reasonable explanation for why they would be paying so much for them. That or, y’know, corruption.
Most of us want more green spaces in Jakarta, but at what cost? The city government is planning to buy a bunch of trees for Ria Rio Reservoir Park, and the they’re spending a whopping Rp. 50 billion on them.
You would think Rp. 50 billion should be enough to buy a whole forest, but that much money doesn’t go so far when each tree you purchase costs Rp. 750 million.
We’ll repeat that once more for emphasis: the Parks Department of Jakarta is buying trees for Rp. 750 million per tree. As in, more expensive than many cars.
Those costs were confirmed on Wednesday by the Head of Parks and Cemetery Agency, Nandar Sunandar. He did not deny the existence of the fantastical tree budget and said it was a perfectly reasonable amount to pay for the kind of trees they were buying.
“It is to buy a variety of exotic trees. As to the amount, we will first measure in terms of extent and need, ” Nandar said, as quoted by Lensa Indonesia.
Asked about the specific trees being purchased, Nandar dodged the question, but said there wouldn’t be any funny business with the budget because it was being done through the city’s new e-budgeting system.
Chairman of City Council Commission D, M Sanusi, said he supported the budget was also reluctant to give specifics regarding the tree procurement project.
He simply said, “The money is not just to buy trees, the whole infrastructure will be addressed,” he said.
The Gerindra politician said he supported the program because it would add beauty and green space to the city.
“The parks in this city should be of a good quality. We can’t just purchase small trees or tree sprouts. We must purchase large trees to provide shade and enjoyment for the people, “he explained.
In response, the political budget analyst Uchok Sky Khadafi criticized Nandar’s statement.
“Ria Rio Park is already was 30 percent finished. So for builders, those funds are too expensive,” Uchok said.
Urban planning expert Yayat Supriatna agreed. He said there were trees that could theoretically be that expensive, but very few.
“There are trees that are expensive, that are worth hundreds of millions. But, not very many,” he argued.
