The Sukarno statue, which is going to be the country’s tallest statue, is part of an ongoing project to turn a 1,270-hectare area in West Bandung regency’s Walini region, previously used for tea cultivation, into a green city that could act as a new economic hub for the province.

The green city project, led by property development giant Ciputra and state plantation firm PT Perkebunan Nusantara (PTPN) VIII, reportedly would cost up to Rp 10 trillion (US$655 million), around Rp 15 billion of which would be directed into building the statue itself.

Construction for the statue will begin next year, and renowned Balinese sculptor Nyoman Nuarta, whose portfolio include the Garuda Wisnu Kencana statue in Bali and the soon-to-be-built state palace in the country’s new capital of Nusantara, is going to spearhead the project.

Local residents and segments of the Muslim community, however, have put up stiff opposition against the construction of Sukarno statue, saying that the Rp 15 billion budget for the statue would be better spent elsewhere.

Last week, a group calling themselves the West Java Cleric and Advocate Forum (FUTA) held a demonstration in front of Bandung city’s Gedung Sate, which houses the office of West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil, demanding Ridwan revoke plans for the statue, local media reported.

A similar protest was also staged by the West Java chapter of another group called the Islamic Movement Alliance (API) earlier this month.