The Jakarta administration has decided to halt a National Monument (Monas) revitalization project in Central Jakarta after the public criticized it for cutting down hundreds of trees. “We agree with the City Council that the project must be stopped temporarily with all its consequences, until a letter of approval from the steering committee is given,” city secretary Saefullah told reporters after a coordination meeting with the council on Tuesday. The suspension of the Monas revitalization project on Wednesday was based on a recommendation by the City Council, which argued that halting the project was a “natural thing” because, aside from not having a permit, the project had cut down 200 trees. The project kicked off on Nov. 12, 2019 without consent from the Medan Merdeka Area Development Steering Committee, helmed by State Secretary Pratikno. The committ...