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Jakarta to establish two parks for protests
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Female farmers from Mount Kendeng, Rembang regency, Central Java, protest cement plant developments in their area by cementing their feet in crates in front of the State Palace in Jakarta on April 13. They demanded to meet with the President to voice their concerns over the construction of the plants, which they said would impact the environment and threaten their livelihoods as farmers. (The Jakarta Post/Seto Wardhana)
T
he Jakarta administration will establish two new parks that Jakartans can use to voice their aspirations , Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama said on Thursday.
One park will be located on the northwest side of the Monument National (Monas) Park, 100 meters from the State Palace in Central Jakarta. It will be named Palace View Park.
The name refers to the view of the Presidential Palace.
"So people visiting the park can look at the palace instead of shouting at it. Besides, in English, Palace View sounds cool," he said at City Hall as quoted by beritajakarta.com.
Another park for protests will also be established near the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle in Central Jakarta. It will be located on the former site of the British Embassy, which the city administration is in the process of procuring.
Jakarta Parks and Cemeteries Agency head Ratna Diah Kurniati said the Monas park would be built on 1,000 square meters of land by Swiss cement producer Holcim as part of its corporate social responsibility (CSR).
The park will be able to accommodate up to 1,000 people. Despite it being a park for voicing aspirations, facilities such as park benches will also be provided.
The city hopes to open the park to the public before June 22, Jakarta's anniversary.
Ahok issued a gubernatorial decree last year restricting free speech in public spaces, claiming that demonstrations caused traffic jams and disrupted people's activities. The decree allows people to stage protests at only three venues: the east parking lot at the Bung Karno Sports Complex in Senayan, Democracy Square in the House of Representatives complex and the Southern Cross at Monas.
The decree also stipulates that protests may only be conducted between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. and that the noise level of any sound system may not exceed 60 decibels. (rin)
