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Jakarta councilors, residents demand Anies pull the plug on Formula E
They are concerned that the city will suffer losses due to fewer people coming to the race in June.
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The National Monument stands in Jakarta on Feb. 11. The Jakarta administration is planning to hold a Formula E race at the National Monument (Monas) compound on June 6. (JP/Wendra Ajistyatama )
F
ollowing the discovery of the first confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the country, Jakarta councilors have pressured the administration to cancel the Formula E race, which is slated to be held for the first time in June.
Mujiyono, the Jakarta Legislative Council’s head of Commission A overseeing administrative affairs, said the city would suffer losses due to low ticket sales since many countries had issued travel warnings to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.
“It will be a loss because some countries will not send athletes to come to Indonesia due to the coronavirus. Foreign tourists, too, will think twice about coming to watch the race because of the outbreak,” the Democratic Party politician told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.
He suggested that city-owned developer PT Jakarta Propertindo (Jakpro), the event organizer, negotiate a cancelation with Formula E Operations (FEO) and the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) and pay any penalty fees.
The council’s Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) faction head, Gembong Warsono, said that although Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan had deposited Rp 360 billion (US$25 million) from the city budget with the FIA as a commitment fee, the city had to look further to the potential losses and harm caused by the global outbreak.
“The city administration must examine public health carefully and the potential for material losses if many participants decide not to come and it ends up not reaching the desired outcome,” said Gembong.
The councilors also suggested that Anies follow other countries that had taken drastic steps to curb the spread of COVID-19. China has canceled its F1 Grand Prix set to take place on April 19, and Qatar has cancelled its MotoGP race.
