‘We may have been negligent’: Indonesian army chief owns up to West Java bridge collapse on opening day

Pangandaran, September 17 — The Indonesian army will conduct a comprehensive examination of nearly 3,400 bridges they and police have constructed across the nation, following the collapse of a suspension bridge in West Java on its opening day. Army chief-of-staff General Maruli Simanjuntak admitted that the review was prompted by the Pongpet suspension bridge in Margacinta village, which gave way on August 30 while approximately 50 individuals were on it.

Regrettably, although no fatalities were reported, several villagers sustained minor injuries and abrasions, as per the army. General Simanjuntak expressed remorse, attributing the incident to potential negligence in supervising bridge usage rules or the quality of bridges constructed. The 60-meter bridge, spanning a river about three meters below, is projected to cost around 400 million rupiah (USD 103,000) to repair.

He assured that the army would scrutinize the bridges to ascertain any issues and enhance safety. "So that, hopefully, things will be better going forward," he stated.

The Pongpet bridge was among 2,700 so-called Garuda bridges completed by the army within a year, with approximately 800 serving disaster-stricken areas. Suspension bridges constitute roughly 30% of the total, while busier routes utilize concrete bridges, and prefab designs are employed elsewhere to minimize expenses. General Simanjuntak emphasized that the army's engineering corps had traditionally been engaged in bridge construction as part of its wartime responsibilities.

"One of its duties is to build bridges under wartime conditions. If they can do that in war, then in peacetime the work should certainly be better," he remarked. The army's bridge-building initiative is part of President Prabowo Subianto's broader strategy to broaden the military's involvement in civilian projects. The bridges, along with 3,000 clean-water facilities constructed by the army, were officially launched by Prabowo via video conference last month.

Prabowo characterized the projects as evidence of the military's commitment to serving the people. General Simanjuntak further explained the army's approach, which involves training representatives from each region prior to their involvement in bridge construction through a self-managed, labor-intensive system. "When we go there with a self-managed, labor-intensive approach, we gain three advantages.

First, the cost is clearly much lower," he explained. "Second, we revive the spirit of mutual cooperation, gotong-royong, within the community. Third, the money circulates directly in the local area instead of going to a contractor from afar." For 16-year-old Ibrahim Firdaus, who resides in Margacinta, the bridge serves as a crucial route to school and work.

"I need it to go to school, as otherwise, I would have to make a U-turn. Also, for my parents to go to work," he informed the Singapore-based news outlet.