The Indonesian Ombudsman issued a Recommendation after the Provincial Government of West Kalimantan was proven to have committed maladministration in the form of protracted delays in settling the Government’s responsibilities regarding compensation for losses to shop owners who were affected by the collapse of the Sambas Regency Pier in 2014.

Chairman of the Indonesian Ombudsman, Mokhammad Najih said, since 2014 there has been no settlement action by the West Kalimantan Provincial Government to date, in which residents affected by the damage have also submitted their reports to the Indonesian Ombudsman since the incident of the collapse of the Sambas Pier.

The Reporting Party stated that in 2009, at the start of the construction of the Sambas Pier, light cracks had occurred in the shophouses around the Sambas Pier. The reporting party has also submitted a letter of clarification to the Regent of Sambas regarding the damage to the five shophouses due to the construction of the Sambas Pier.

However, on February 11, 2014, the Sambas Pier collapsed and sank into the Sambas River, which affected the shophouses around the pier construction. The complainant as a shop owner has submitted a request to the West Kalimantan Provincial Government Transportation Dinar for a request for shop development/repair and/or monetary compensation. However, until now there has been no clarity and there has been no process of repair and/or compensation in the form of money being given to the affected residents.

Najih explained that in order to complete the public report, the Indonesian Ombudsman issued a Recommendation to the Governor of West Kalimantan to settle the Government’s responsibilities regarding compensation for losses to shop owners who were affected by the collapse of the Sambas Regency Pier in 2014. “The recommendation was signed on December 30, 2022 and has been submitted in writing to the Governor of West Kalimantan through a Letter from the Chairman of the Indonesian Ombudsman dated January 9, 2023,” he said at a Press Conference at the Indonesian Ombudsman Office, South Jakarta, Tuesday (24/1/2023).

Head of Main Assistant for Resolution and Monitoring of the Indonesian Ombudsman, Dominikus Dalu explained, based on an analysis of laws and regulations, audit results, resolution and monitoring efforts as well as the Ombudsman’s opinion, the Ombudsman stated that the Provincial Government of West Kalimantan, in this case the Governor of West Kalimantan as the Reported Party, had committed maladministration in the form of protracted delays in legal obligations to provide services to settle Government responsibilities related to compensation for losses to shophouse owners affected by the collapse of the Sambas Pier.

“Based on the opinion and findings of maladministration, the Indonesian Ombudsman made recommendations to the Reported Party to settle compensation for losses to five shop owners as members of the community affected by the collapse of the Sambas Pier,” said Dominikus.

Furthermore, Dominikus explained, it was recommended that the Governor of West Kalimantan ask for an assessment from the appraisal team (assessment team/assessor of the amount of loss) as an effort to determine the amount of loss. Then, the Ombudsman also recommended that the Governor of West Kalimantan coordinate with the Representative Office of the West Kalimantan Province and the West Kalimantan High Prosecutor’s Office to process the use of the budget that can be issued by the West Kalimantan Provincial Government in the context of providing compensation for losses to shop owners as affected residents.

Furthermore, the Ombudsman asked the Governor of West Kalimantan to coordinate with the Ministry of Home Affairs for the mechanism and technique of providing compensation for losses to the people affected by the 2014 Sambas Pier collapse.

Finally, for the Governor of West Kalimantan to coordinate with related parties involved in the development process of the Sambas Pier project. After that, in the recommendation, the Ombudsman asked for compensation for losses to the complainant as an affected citizen.