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Monas not available for Indonesia's first Formula E race: State Secretariat
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Monument National (Monas), Jakarta on Jan. 20. (JP/Dhoni Setiawan)
T
he State Secretariat has turned down a proposal to use the National Monument (Monas) complex for Indonesia's first Formula E electric car race, which is to be held in June in Jakarta.
Monas is under the supervision of the Medan Merdeka Area Development Steering Committee, which is helmed by State Secretary Pratikno.
“The steering committee does not approve the plan for using Monas," State Secretariat secretary Setya Utama told the press on Wednesday, as quoted by kompas.com.
The rejection was based on various reasons, including that Monas is a heritage site, he added.
Read also: Is it worth the money? Jakarta walks alone to 2020 Formula E race
Setya said the monument is a historical and cultural landmark for Indonesia and that any heavy modification might pose a risk to its well-being.
“[The race] needs a significant modification [of the site], including to put in a certain type of asphalt," he added.
Setya said the committee would soon issue a formal rejection letter to the Jakarta administration.
"Regulation mentions clearly which events that Monas can host," he said.
The Jakarta ePrix is scheduled to take place on June 6, joining Seoul in South Korea and London in England. A contract signed in August 2019 says that Jakarta would host the race for five consecutive years.
Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan announced the five-year deal in September 2019, saying the event would benefit the capital as it would stimulate infrastructure development.
Jakarta's Formula E hosting has met challenges, apart from the unavailability of Monas.
Earlier this year a petition to cancel the Jakarta Formula E was made after the New Year’s Day flooding.
Irawan Endro Prasetyo started the petition on Change.org, alleging the Jakarta administration had cut the city's flood management budget for the sake of hosting the race.
Read also: After floods, calls mount to cancel Formula E race in Jakarta
The petition, which was addressed to the International Automobile Federation (FIA), Jakarta City Council Speaker Prasetio Edi Marsudi and Anies, says: “We need all available resources to help people and rebuild our city, not to waste them on one event that ridicules the citizens’ sufferings.
"Please consider moving this event to another city that is more prepared to host it.”
Anies, however, denied the allegation about the budget being cut to fund the race.
The Jakarta ePrix is an annual race for the single-seater, electrically powered Formula E championship. It is to be the first FIA-sanctioned race in the country since the A1 GP in 2006. (gis)
