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Dancing water fountain to dance again on Saturday night
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Hundreds of people line up to go to the top of the National Monument (Monas) in Central Jakarta on June 28. (The Jakarta Post/Firdhy Esterina Christy)
I
t is confirmed! The dancing water fountain at the National Monument (Monas) will enliven the city once again on Saturday night after ceasing operations around a decade ago.
Monas management head Sabdo Kurnianto told The Jakarta Post on Friday that Jakarta Governor Djarot Saiful Hidayat would attend the inauguration at 7 p.m. at the Monas compound in Gambir, Central Jakarta.
“Yes, it is true [that the dancing fountain will be inaugurated on Saturday night],” Sabdo said. The renovation of the fountain, which was once so popular that it inspired a song composition by dangdut musician Rhoma Irama, was initiated by former governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama.
Ahok disbursed around Rp 200 million (US$15,000) of his own money to repair the broken water fountain. The total funds needed for the repair work was around Rp 400 million (US$29944). Other concerned individuals, including Djarot himself, also set aside their money for the fountain’s renovation.
Well-known Indonesian composer Addie MS also contributed to the project to enliven Monas by composing songs to accompany the dancing waters.
By repairing the dancing fountain, Sabdo was optimistic that the number of visitors to Monas would double or even triple. The average number of visitors currently stands at around 3,000 to 4,000 daily, on weekdays. During weekends, the figure can reach up to 12,000 people.
