Public wants a say in disputed park

Once upon a time in a land not too far away, a piece of land belonged to the people, where everything is green and accessible.

But now, things have changed, as the people with power are said to be planning to replace the trees with a concrete building, turning the green grass into a carpark.

The above story is not a fairytale from an imagined world; the story is real and near. It outlines the situation in a supposedly public park in Senayan, Central Jakarta.

The 11-hectare park known as Taman Ria (recreational park) is a state asset that under Jakarta’s 1995-2005 spatial plans is dedicated to being a public green space. However, there is no room left for the public, as it is known that people with money want to change the area into a commercial venue.

The latest progress is that now politicians are also interested in the area and have created a new conflict with the existing owner, while the public watches them fight behind the curtain. But, what does the public want from the area?

“Let there be a park. Jakarta surely needs more [parks]. We have been overcrowded by malls,” said Yosef Seran Nahak, who works as a preacher in a hospital in Cikini, Central Jakarta. This frequent visitor of Suropati Park in Central Jakarta said a new park would not only be good for the city’s environment but would make the capital look prettier. “Imagine tree and greenery everywhere. It will be nice for this crowded city.”

Jakarta is only 9 percent covered with green area, below the city’s target of 14 percent from the capital total space of 655 square kilometers and far behind the national regulation of 30 percent, as required under the 2007 Spatial Law.

Ignoring its lack of green space, the city keeps using land for constructing malls or office buildings. The city has 130 malls, making it one of the capitals in the world with
the most malls. However, in relation to the conflict surrounding Taman Ria, the city administration chooses not to take stand either way, waiting for decisions from the House Representatives.

“We have sent letters to the House Representatives to ask for certainties about its plans for the land, but we have not received the answers,” Governor Fauzi Bowo said.

The conflict began when the House, whose building is located next to the disputed area, protested against the plan by PT Ariobimo Laguna Perkasa to develop the area into commercial space.

Ariobimo has been the holder of land management rights since 1995. It was given the rights by the government to operate the land until 2035. It once developed a small amusement park and restaurant center, but it failed during the financial crisis.

However, recently the House demanded Ariobimo stop its construction project at the time when the developer set to rebuild the place, accusing it of building a mall, which will violate the designated spatial plan that says the land is supposed to be green space.

“We ask the government to review the contract with the company. We want to convert it again into an open space park and the House will manage it,” legislator Teguh Juwarno said.

Ariobimo managing director Kurnia Achmadin denied the House’s accusation, saying it would only build a food center in the area.

While the conflict has not been resolved yet, the public says it wants to have its park back with no politics. “Just let [the area] be free,” 43-year-old food seller Priyono said. He worried that when the area was under certain authorities, the general public access would be limited. “There will be public officers or maybe security guards who will not allow me to enter the area, where I am supposed to earn a living,” said Priyono, who has been a seller in Jakarta’s parks for almost 20 years.

Urban analysts also share the same idea, believing that returning the parks to the public will reduce corruption practice in land management in Senayan area.

“Even if we give it to legislators, who can guarantee that they will not misuse the land?” says Yayat Supriatna, urban planning analyst of Trisakti University in Jakarta. Indonesian Architect Association chairman Her Pramtama has called the authority to return to the original plan on the development area proposed by architect Soejoedi Wirjoadmodjo, who made the House Representatives buildings.

“He wanted to convert the area that is mostly lake, into an open area, where visitors can see the House building and its reflection from afar in the lake,” he said.