Beautifying Monas park<\/p>\n
Two years ago, Governor Sutiyoso came under fire for his
\ndetermination to give the National Monument (Monas) park a
\nmakeover by erecting a four-kilometer steel fence around the park
\nto keep the hawkers out.<\/p>\n
He continued to press ahead with his drive to make the park
\ncleaner and more orderly by prohibiting littering. Then he
\nreleased a number of deer in his efforts to make the park even
\nmore attractive.<\/p>\n
Today, the park is better illuminated at night, and the street
\nwalkers, who used to be such a distinctive feature of the park,
\nhave disappeared. In short, the capital's only park worthy of the
\nname is now cleaner and more attractive, although most people
\nhope that the fence will be removed someday soon to show that the
\npark is really a place meant for the public.<\/p>\n
Without any fanfare, the city administration is currently
\ndeveloping another attraction in Monas park -- a synchronized
\n\"dancing\" fountain.<\/p>\n
The US$2.7 million fountain, which it is said will be similar
\nto the Las Vegas Bellagio fountain, was supposed to have been
\ncompleted and inaugurated on June 22 to coincide with the
\ncelebrations marking Jakarta's 478th anniversary. Due to various
\nproblems, the fountain will now be inaugurated on July 28.<\/p>\n
The sprucing up of Monas park has been a notable advance in
\nthe effort to provide people with at least some quality green
\nspace, given that the overall area of green spaces in the capital
\ncontinues to shrink. The administration says it has made many
\nefforts to preserve green and open spaces. Unfortunately, the
\nproliferation of malls and hypermarkets around the city belie the
\nadministration's statements in this regard.<\/p>\n
Based on the city's 2000-2010 master plan, the administration
\nsays it wants to set aside a total of around 9,155 hectares, or
\nalmost 14 percent of the capital's area of 65,680 hectares, as
\nopen and green spaces by 2010. However, so far it has only
\nmanaged to set aside less then 6,000 hectares, or only some 9
\npercent of the capital city's land area.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, an official regreening campaign -- launched last
\nyear -- as part of which people are urged to plant fruit trees on
\nvacant land has yet to show much success.<\/p>\n
Criticism of the city administration's commitment toward
\nimproving the green-space-to-total-area ratio in Jakarta has been
\nwidespread. Environmentalists have expressed deep concern about
\nthe way in which the city is being stripped of vegetation, which
\nhad resulted in the degradation of air and groundwater quality.<\/p>\n
Many see the administration as being obsessed with shopping
\nmalls. With per capita income in Jakarta standing at
\napproximately Rp 30 million (around US$3,500) per annum, the
\nadministration apparently believes that Jakartans' relatively
\nhigh purchasing power needs to be milked to the maximum. This
\nis one of the main reasons why more malls and hypermarkets are
\nbeing constructed.<\/p>\n
Figures from last year show that the city has at least 150
\ntraditional or wet markets (managed by the Jakarta
\nadministration-owned PD Pasar Jaya), 73 shopping malls, six
\nwholesale stores, 116 department stores and 125 supermarkets.
\nNevertheless, these are considered inadequate to satisfactorily
\nrelieve well-heeled Jakartans of their cash.<\/p>\n
A respected international consultant forecast in 2002 that at
\nleast 800,000 square meters of new shopping centers would be
\nconstructed in Greater Jakarta between late 2002 and 2005.<\/p>\n
Against a backdrop of an increasingly difficult city to live
\nin, Jakarta people are in dire of more green and open spaces so
\nthat they can escape, albeit temporarily, from the urban jungle
\nthat Jakarta has become. Our children, who have long been using
\nmalls and shopping centers for recreation, need to be provided
\nwith places where they can relax in the shade of trees, play
\ngames on the grass, and enjoy the scents and smells that only
\nnature can provide.<\/p>\n
People need more open, green spaces as recreational spots for
\nfamilies. They can also interact with other people in the park at
\nthe same time. In addition, parks do not function only as
\nrecreation spots, but also serve as the \"lungs\" of the capital
\ncity.<\/p>\n
Therefore, making Monas park more beautiful, more secure and
\nmore orderly so that families can enjoy their leisure time there
\ndeserves support. However, beautifying Monas park is only one of
\nthe many tasks that the administration must tackle in order to
\nprovide residents with an adequate number of green spaces.<\/p>\n
Many may say that it is far too late to remedy the current
\nwoeful situation, but doing something useful is much better than
\ndoing nothing at all. It's now or never. Jakarta people want to
\nsee the administration keep its word and provide more green
\nspaces as promised. Otherwise, living in Jakarta will only become
\neven more intolerable.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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