Menteng, built by the Dutch in 1920, is generally regarded as the most prestigious residential area in the capital Jakarta.
People living in newer luxury residential areas like Pondok Indah are no doubt well off, but those living in Menteng are usually a class apart. Indeed, the Dutch authorities designed Menteng for people of a different class.
The development of the area was tightly regulated by the Dutch, who only allowed buildings and houses with certain styles of architecture to be built in the area.
One can still find these well-maintained homes along the leafy streets of Menteng, including Jl. Diponegoro and Jl. Teuku Umar, which are home to many foreign diplomats and high-ranking Indonesian officials.
However, the area has not been immune to change. The construction of a flyover connecting Jl. Cokroaminoto and the new business area of Kuningan (Jl. HR Rasuna Said) marked the beginning of a more chaotic Menteng.
More of the exclusiveness and tranquility of the area has been lost, as houses have been turned into offices and places of business, which has encouraged food stalls to move in. All of this has brought about traffic problems, particularly with more and more cars parked along the streets.
Illegal on-street parking in the area was notorious for snarling traffic, but instead of doing something about the problem the authorities simply 'legalized' the parking.
With no good ideas on how to address the problem, the city administration decided to convert the former Menteng stadium into a park, along with 2,000 square meters of parking. Many saw this as purely an economic decision. The park is in blatant defiance of the wishes of residents, sports lovers and environmentalists, who wanted the site turned into an open green area.
Before the project started last year, Jakarta residents were concerned a mall or business center would replace the stadium, home of soccer club Persija.
Central Jakarta Mayor Muhayat and Governor Sutiyoso were urged to prevent this from happening. In response to the public outcry, the city administration promised the area would be left open and green.
Instead there will be a three-story parking lot as part of the Rp 32 billion park complex, which will include a basketball court as well as a futsal field. Better than a shopping mall, perhaps, but not quite open green space.
Local residents have complained about the decision, saying such a large parking structure does not belong in a residential area.
The project is located a block behind the businesses surrounding the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle. The area has become notorious for its street vendors and parked cars taking up half the street.
Apart from the administration's failure to respond to the city's real need for more open green space, the parking lot project could be an example of the administration's inability to uphold the law and city regulations on spatial planning. Open discussion between the mayoralty administration and the residents should have taken place before the project started. Instead, the residents only received written notice on the final plan of the project.
One neighborhood group has said the parking lot, located on Jl. Sidoarjo, will cause noise and air pollution.
The group also expressed concern the parking garage would lead to an increase in the number of cars and people frequenting the area, while the facility is only six meters from the nearest house.
There is nothing residents can do now that the parking lot has been built. But this project has extended the list of the city administration's failures to heed the wishes of the public. If not today, the city administration will someday be held to account for its go-it-alone style of governing.
It is the choice for all Jakartans, whether to unite and fight for common interests against an arrogant bureaucracy, or remain ignorant of each other's causes.
