Local businessmen fight over Vico social project

Oil firm PT Vico Indonesia has temporarily suspended its community development project in Muara Badak area, East Kalimantan, after a group of local businessmen complained to the legislative council that the allocation of the project had been unfair, the local Kaltim Post daily reported Thursday.

The paper said that Vico community development projects included improvement of local roads, school buildings, and other social facilities. The project is worth around Rp 2 billion (US$1=Rp 9,980). Vico gave the project to three local business associations to be allocated to each members. The project is expected to be able to create jobs.

But later on, certain people at the Muara Badak chamber of commerce and industry, who apparently failed to get a piece of the action, complained of unfairness to the legislative council.

The Kutai Kertanegara legislative council invited Vico and related parties to the council headquarters to discuss the problem, but it turned that when Vico officials arrived at the building Wednesday, the legislators were not there.(*)