First as a forest, then as a Waterloo monument, a bus terminal and finally, the venue of an expo, Lapangan Banteng in Sawah Besar, Central Jakarta, has long been a witness to the capital’s historical journey under Dutch and Japanese occupation.

It was built in 1632 by Dutchman Anthony Paviljoen, who turned the forest area into Paviljoensveld, named after him.

In 1828, the Dutch built a lion statue in the square to commemorate the Battle of Waterloo, prompting residents to call it Lion Square. The statue was destroyed under Japanese occupation.

After Indonesia’s independence, the square was renamed Lapangan Banteng before the government built the West Irian Liberation Monument, which was inaugurated on Aug. 18, 1963, by then- president Sukarno, the same year the West Irian became an integral part of the Republic of Indonesia.

In the 1970s, an inner-city bus terminal operated in the area before it returned to its function as a public square.

Decades later, the square has become a regular venue for the annual flora and fauna expo Flona, which was first held in 1984.

Lapangan Banteng is now undergoing a major renovation that would reflect on the historic return of West Irian — now called West Papua — to Indonesia.

“We want the monument to inform [residents] about the history of West Irian’s liberation [from the Dutch],” Jakarta Restoration Team leader Bambang Eryudhawan told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.

As of Tuesday, restoration of the West Irian Liberation Monument at the center of the square is still ongoing. A newly constructed amphitheater, a fountain pool, as well as halls that display quotes and historical information about Indonesia’s independence and the West Irian liberation efforts during the 1950s and 1960s have started to take shape.

Historian Rusdi Husein said that when the monument was inaugurated by Sukarno in 1963, it was in his opinion not quite finished yet because it did not display any information about the West Irian’s liberation.

“It is a pity that a monument about West Irian’s liberation had no information about the event, so I suggested to have historical panels installed in the square,” Rusdi, who was a consultant for the restoration team, told The Jakarta Post.

He said the renovation should not only feature historical panels, but also a small museum about the liberation of West Irian.

The square, whose revamp is being funded by a group of private companies under their corporate social responsibilities program (CSR), is set to be finished this month, Bambang said.

Project supervisor Sunardi said major renovations had finished, except for several add-ons.

“We are currently installing tactile paving, the historical panels and adding some finishing touches here and there,” he said.

Sunardi added that workers were currently installing historical panels on the square’s newly constructed building, which consists of several rooms, including office space for the square’s management and caretakers, a prayer room and bathrooms.

Out of the 10 panels that would be installed, two have been installed as of Tuesday, featuring the Indonesian independence proclamation text from 1945 and quotes from Sukarno’s speech during the square’s inauguration.

Sunardi said the square’s amphitheater, fountain pool and the stage in the middle of the pool were finished and workers had conducted several tests on the fountain as well. (ami)

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