In the eyes of the critics, the Mandalika project is symbolic of all the problems that exist with the AIIB. And the critics have had new arguments since the bank’s head of communications, Canadian Bob Pickard, last week fled Beijing to tweet to warn the world of a “toxic culture” and infiltration of the bank by the Chinese Communist Party. The insider thinks Western countries shouldn’t have anything to do with the bank anymore. Canada announced an investigation into the allegations. Pressure is also increasing on the federal government to explain why it still wants to be involved in this prestigious Chinese project.
If you talk to the fishermen in Lombok, you will have doubts. In 2020 and 2021, some of them only received a small compensation for their land. Ever since motorcycle racing started in Mandalika, they have been fighting back and demanding decent compensation for the loss of their land. But the AIIB and the Indonesian government ignore them. Before the race days, the police and military even came to intimidate the remaining residents. Only last weekend, AIIB representatives were in the field again to find out about the progress of the work. However, according to the Indonesian Coalition for Monitoring Infrastructure Development (KPPII), the residents’ concerns were not even heard by the bank.
Read the article in full (in German): Süddeutsche Zeitung
