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City bows to pressure, halts Monas project
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
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span>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 committee is in charge of making decisions over changes to the capital’s landmark.
“The [Jakarta] governor as the steering secretary must coordinate with the central government. Monas is a national icon. It is not owned by the city alone but by the entire nation and there needs to be good coordination,” Jakarta Council speaker Prasetyo Edi Marsudi said.
Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan, who has been silent about the case, was supported by several parties including the Governor’s Team for Accelerated Development (TGUPP), regional working units (SKPD), the legal bureau and the city secretary.
The city secretary acknowledged the administration had sent a letter to the committee notifying it about the revitalization project.
However, according to Pratikno, the letter was not the one containing a request for approval; it was more of a notification letter containing an explanation of the revitalization project.
Pratikno said it was a must for all development projects carried out in the Medan Merdeka area to get permission from the steering committee, as stipulated in Presidential Decree No. 25/1995 on development of the area.
In addition to the state secretary and Jakarta governor, other members of the steering committee are the public works and housing minister, environment and forestry minister, transportation minister, education and culture minister and tourism minister.
“Since there has been no proper procedure, we asked for the project to be stopped first,” Pratikno said. “We have brainstormed and asked for input from experts, observers and the relevant ministers regarding the matter.”
Public Works and Housing Minister Basuki Hadimuljono regretted the poor communication between the Jakarta administration and the central government, saying that the ministries and institutions involved should have provided input if the permit application was submitted.
Basuki said revitalization permits usually came with recommendations and certain requirements from each member of the steering committee, who each were supposed to give their expert opinions.
“The task of the steering committee is to give an opinion and give direction to the implementing body of construction within the Medan Merdeka area. It also gives approval for the planning and financing scheme,” Basuki said.
The City Council had agreed to the project in the 2019 city budget, with Rp 150 billion (US$11 million) allocated for it.
Environment and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya weighed in on the issue, saying that she was currently exploring the impact of the project on the environment. She said should there be environmental damage, there would be sanctions against the city administration.
Jakarta Spatial Planning Agency head Heru Hermawanto argued that the design of the project was in accordance with a presidential decree.
The city administration, meanwhile, argued that discussions over it had been ongoing for a long time and that there was coordination with the state secretary since a contest was held for the design of the project.
Previously, the administration insisted that the project could not be halted as it was bound by a contract with the winning contractor, PT Bahana Prima Nusantara, which claimed that the work was 88 percent complete.
