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Green spaces at Monas opened to public
Free to roam: Workers dismantle fences around grass in the National Monument (Monas) Park, Central Jakarta, on Friday as part of the city administration’s program to rejuvenate the park
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span class="inline inline-center">Free to roam: Workers dismantle fences around grass in the National Monument (Monas) Park, Central Jakarta, on Friday as part of the city administration’s program to rejuvenate the park. It is feared that the absence of fences will allow visitors to trample on the grass.(JP/Seto Wardhana)
With limited green public space available in Jakarta, the National Monument (Monas) area in Central Jakarta remains an oasis for Jakartans and residents of neighboring cities looking to relax and breathe in fresh air in the polluted capital city.
In its latest policy, the Jakarta administration has relaxed restrictions by allowing people to carry out activities on the grass fields around the monument. The move has been welcomed by frequent visitors to
the area.
Istiqomah, 50, a resident of Bekasi, said she loved to visit Monas with her family to sit under trees and enjoy a healthy environment.
“The only reason we visit Monas is because we can enjoy a fresh and calm atmosphere. Just sitting and eating snacks here is enough for us,” said Istiqomah on a Friday afternoon.
“I am glad that we can sit on the grass freely now, especially since our main purpose in visiting Monas is to sit and relax in the compound,” she added.
Yanuar Pribadhie, a 26-year-old lawyer living in South Jakarta who frequently visits Monas, said he could not wait for his next visit there as the Jakarta administration had recently removed signs that banned people from carrying out activities on the grass.
“To visit Monas and roll on its grass fields and read books while lying on the grass, just like what I have seen in other countries’ parks, is unchecked on my bucket list. That will be fun, I cannot wait to do it,” he said.
Monas management removed signs banning visitors from sitting or carrying out activities on the grass on Tuesday, as instructed by Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan.
“We can replant the grass, no problem […] it will grow fast. Let’s not consider Monas a garden, but a park. And a park is a place where people can play and take part in various activities,” said Anies early this month in response to concerns raised by many that the new policy would ruin the area.
Separately, Jakarta Deputy Governor Sandiaga Uno said Thursday that he would like to see Monas be developed into a park similar to that of Central Park in New York or Hyde Park in London.
Monas public service department head Endrati Fariani said that as a result of the new policy, the Monas area management unit had prepared extra measures to preserve the environment of the area.
“The ban preventing visitors from stepping onto the grass fields was issued in 2007 in order to preserve the beauty of the Monas area. However, we also understand that the public wants to have more access to the park,” she said. “In this case, we respect the city administration’s order.”
Endrati said even though the grass area was open to the public, visitors were expected to be more responsible and participate in keeping the grass area clean.
“Basically, people can carry out any activity on the grass areas, such as having a picnic or playing, as long as it does not result in damage,” she said.
She added that they would take additional measures to preserve the area. “We will water the grass more often, provide more fertilizer and employ extra personnel specifically in charge of maintaining the grass areas,” she said.
As a prime tourist destination in the city, the Monas area has been the subject of an annual maintenance and beautification program. The management currently takes care of some 7,500 trees scattered around the 100-hectare area.
The management has placed greater emphasis on preserving the environment at Monas ever since it relocated street vendors from its grass areas, where they had set up operations, to a specific space designed for them at the Monas parking lot.
To keep Monas clean and preserve its green spaces, a monthly budget of Rp 927,000,000 (US$69,525) was allocated for lawn care and the salaries of 245 janitors and maintenance workers.
A total of 14,882,421 visitors, 17,024 of which were foreign tourists, visited Monas in 2017.
To attract visitors, Monas management plans to construct a path that would allow visitors to enter a 3.4-ha fenced-off area that is home to 100 deer.
“So far, people can only see the deer from outside the cage. We plan to make a pathway for visitors inside the cage, so that visitors can see the deer directly without any barriers, but of course there would be space separating the visitors and the deer,” said Endrati. (roi)
