ER
SPEAKER of the House of Representatives (DPR) Puan Maharani said the parliament will review the rising debt of the Jakarta–Bandung High-Speed Railway by reassessing the policies and decisions made by the previous government.
She stated that the DPR will summon relevant officials involved in the development of the high-speed train, known as Whoosh.
“This issue must be addressed together with the government, regarding the technical aspects and the financial situation, both past and present,” Maharani said after attending a plenary session at the Parliament Complex in Jakarta on Tuesday (04/11), 2025.
She urged the government to clarify the potential consequences of the project and its stance on the matter.
“We must prevent further state losses,” she added, emphasizing that the issue should not cause continued financial burden to the state.
In her plenary speech, Maharani also said the Whoosh project has been included in the DPR’s oversight agenda for the current session.
Earlier, the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) confirmed it had launched an investigation into alleged corruption related to the project.
“We are currently at the investigation stage,” the KPK’s Acting Deputy for Enforcement and Execution said on Monday.
Former Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs Mahfud MD had earlier alleged budget inflation or markups in the project through his personal YouTube channel on October 14.
President Prabowo Subianto has stated that the government will ensure the project’s sustainability, saying Indonesia has sufficient financial capacity to manage it without directly burdening the State Budget.
He added that the social, economic, and environmental benefits of the high-speed rail project outweigh its financial costs. [antaranews]
