The drama surrounding the controversial glass lift at Kelingking Beach on Nusa Penida has taken a new turn, though the story is far from over.
The project's investor, PT Indonesia Kaishi Tourism Property Investment Development Group, has won its first legal round: the Denpasar Administrative Court annulled the Bali Municipal Police order to halt the works and required the authorities to cover legal costs of around 12 million rupiah.
Social media immediately began predicting that construction would resume shortly, but in practice this ruling does not mean the workers will be back on site tomorrow.
The Bali authorities intend to fight to the end. Island Governor Wayan Koster and the head of the legal bureau of the Bali provincial government have already announced officially that they are filing an appeal and plan to take the case all the way to the highest court.
Officials maintain that the permit issued earlier covered only a modest ticket-office area, but that the project then expanded to enormous proportions, including an 800-metre bridge walkway and a descent shaft, for which no permits were ever granted.
At the same time, another scandal has flared up in the Bali parliament. I Made Suparta, chair of the special committee on urban planning, openly voiced his frustration over the loss in the court of first instance and accused the provincial administration's lawyers of negligence. In his words, the officials treated the proceedings carelessly and submitted only written opinions to the court, while the wealthy investor brought live investment experts to the hearing.
The members of parliament insist that heavy construction cannot be allowed in an area at high risk of natural disasters without environmental experts appearing in person. They have threatened to file a complaint about the judges with Indonesia's Judicial Commission.
In the end, the courts have so far only assessed whether the paperwork was in order; they have not authorised the resumption of the works. The Chinese side still has a fight ahead of it before heavy machinery can return to the most Instagrammable spot in Bali.
Sources: BaliPost, RadarBadung
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