The Bali provincial administration has established a special team that will conduct a thorough study regarding the administration's plans to take over the neglected Garuda Wisnu Kencana (GWK) Cultural Park project, previously designed to be the island's cultural landmark.
Bali Governor Made Mangku Pastika told reporters after attending the National Heroes's Day ceremony at Puputan Park in Renon on Tuesday that the team would include experts, cultural observers and legislators.
"We are currently trying to explore the possibility of acquiring the cultural park. We will need funds from various sources to buy it," the governor explained.
Designed as a prestigious cultural park and covering a 250-hectare plot of land on the hill of Jimbaran, the venue is currently in an almost dilapidated condition.
Built during the New Order regime of the late president Soeharto in 1997, the park's original plans had included a 146-meter statue of the Hindu god Wisnu riding a mythical Garuda bird.
The statue has not been completed due to a shortage of funds. The 1998 Asian financial crisis badly affected the project, and at the time, only 15 percent of the project had been completed and was in operation, including a 7,500-seat amphitheater.
The statue was designed by Balinese artist I Nyoman Nuarta, and currently only the head of Wisnu has been constructed.
The creation of the statue's torso, the Garuda bird and the statue's pedestal were delayed due to limited funding.
The cultural park is currently being managed by PT Garuda Adhitama Indonesia (GAIN).
The Bali administration estimates it will require additional funding of Rp 750 billion (US$75 million) to complete the project. A few months ago, a Malaysian investor expressed an interest in acquiring GWK Park.
"We are trying to prevent foreign investors from taking over the cultural park since it is one of our cultural assets," Pastika noted.
The governor went on to say that the money to buy GWK Park would be allocated from the regional budget. "We are looking to invite Balinese businessmen and individuals to join us in this program. I expect GWK to become a new Balinese cultural icon," he said.
Bali's regional budget for 2009 is set at Rp 1.6 trillion, and will increase to Rp 1.7 trillion in 2010.
"We will attempt to reduce unnecessary expenses such as overseas trips and other unessential activities to spend money to acquire the cultural park, " he said.
The chairman of the Garuda Wisnu Kencana Foundation, I Gde Ardika, said he was delighted to hear of the Bali government's plan to buy the cultural park.
"If the Bali administration takes over the park, the real cultural philosophy of the park will remain intact," said Ardika, who is also a former minister of culture and tourism.
