T

he city of Jayapura in Papua will soon join a select group of cities around the world that feature a giant statue of Jesus Christ.

The city, the population of which is 70 percent Christian, has already boasted it will have the world’s tallest Jesus monument.

“It is going to be the tallest Jesus Christ statue in the world. If the height of the statue in Brazil is 38 meters, then the one we are going to build is 67 meters,” Papua Public Works Agency head Djuli Mambaya told The Jakarta Post in Jayapura on Wednesday.

The statue will be built on six hectares of land in Kampung Kayu Batu. The Papua administration plans to spend Rp 500 billion (US$37 million) on the construction of the statue and its supporting facilities, such as a museum and a Bible school,

“So the Rp 500 billion will not be used for the statue’s construction only,” Djuli said.

He explained that the museum would showcase historical documents and artefacts on how the New Testament came to Papua. Visitors will then be shown the history of every Christian denomination in the province.

The plans call for the statue to have two elevators that can take visitors to the eyes. Each elevator would be able to carry seven people.

“From the statue’s eye, visitors can directly see the Pacific Ocean. There will be a telescope so that people can see farther,” Djuli said.

The statue will be entirely made of copper, but some parts of it will be coated with gold.

“We have gold and copper at Freeport, which can be donated for this statue,” Djuli said.

Sculptors Nur Ibrahim, Didit Affandi, Cubung and Roni Mala have been assigned to design and create the statue. Didit Affandi is the grandson of the renowned Indonesian painter Affandi.

The site is expected to become an international tourist attraction. The local administration, therefore, is planning to build an international port for foreign cruise ships. “Tourists from all over the world can directly come here by boat,” Djuli said.

The administration has also allocated Rp 15 billion to build a two-kilometer road leading to the statue’s location.

The road’s construction is expected to be finished this year.

The plan has received a mixed response from the public. “It is nice that the statue could be an icon of Papua, but given the situation right now, I would rather see the money used to build public facilities,” Resky, a local resident, told the Post.

Meanwhile, Ridolf Makanuay, another resident, said he welcomes the plan, since the statue could become a popular tourist attraction that could jack up the economy.

“A tourist attraction will have an impact on the local economy. People can now do more than sell betel leaves and areca nuts to make ends meet,” he said.

Djuli has dismissed criticism that the statue’s construction was extravagant, saying that the plan and budget for it had been approved by the Papuan legislative council.

“The construction of this statue should have started four years ago, but it was halted due to land procurement problems. The Papuan people have been looking forward to this statue since four years ago, so this statue has to be built as soon as possible,” he said.

The project, he said, is expected to be completed in 2020.