Soeharto okays construction of huge monument in Bali<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): President Soeharto yesterday gave the go ahead
\nfor the construction of the Garuda Wisnu Kencana, a monument in
\nBali which will be taller than the Statue of Liberty in New York,
\nand stressed that no government money will be used.<\/p>\n
The Rp 80 billion (US$38 million) needed for the project must
\nbe raised entirely from the public, probably from entrepreneurs,
\nSoeharto said yesterday when meeting with the officials
\nresponsible for the construction, including Bali Governor Ida
\nBagus Oka, Minister of Tourism, Post and Telecommunications Joop
\nAve, architect Aribustaman and creator Nyoman Nuarta.<\/p>\n
The statue, planned to take the form of the legendary Garuda
\nbird, will be built on 100 hectares of land, located some eight
\nkilometers southeast of Denpasar's Ngurah Rai airport.<\/p>\n
The monument, including the bird and its supporting structure,
\nwill be 135 meters high.<\/p>\n
Joop said the Garuda's body will be gold-plated.
\nAmphitheaters, bird parks and amusement centers will be built
\naround the monument, he said.<\/p>\n
The project, conceived almost four years ago by Joop himself,
\nhas triggered heated debate among the local Balinese community,
\ngovernment officials and non-Balinese.<\/p>\n
Those opposed to the project, including students of Udayana
\nUniversity in Denpasar, call the project a waste of money.<\/p>\n
Those who supported the project said Bali's younger generation
\nneeds a new means to express their creativity, which, according
\nto them, can be achieved by building such a statue.<\/p>\n
The culture and art which Bali currently possesses, they
\nargued, are mere remnants of those during the lives of their
\nancestors.<\/p>\n
President Soeharto's instructions yesterday, however, may be a
\nsignal that the disputes will end.<\/p>\n
Bagus Oka said the statue is no longer the main issue. \"What
\nis more important is the effort to transform the unproductive,
\ndestroyed areas into a lush green site.\"<\/p>\n
The project, after three long years of research and
\nfeasibility studies, will begin in the near future and is
\nexpected to be completed in three years, he said.<\/p>\n
\"President Soeharto asked whether the project could be
\nfinished earlier in time for the 50th anniversary of Indonesia's
\nindependence next year,\" Bagus Oka said.<\/p>\n
This will unfortunately be impossible because the builders
\nhave to move cautiously given that Indonesia has limited
\nexperience with this kind of work,<\/p>\n
The governor said the disputes ceased after those who were
\noriginally against the plan were informed that the monument would
\nnot disturb the environment.<\/p>\n
Minister of Mines and Energy I.B. Sudjana, the most prominent
\nBalinese in the government and also the patron of the foundation
\nmanaging the project, said a company will be established under
\nthe foundation to manage tourism at the statue.<\/p>\n
Many sources have volunteered to contribute to the project,
\nsuch as the state companies under the Ministries of Tourism, Post
\nand Telecommunications and of Mines and Energy, as well as the
\nKrakatau Steel company, he said.<\/p>\n
\"A tourist entrepreneur from West Java has volunteered to
\ncontribute one kilogram of gold to this project,\" Joop added.
\n(pwn)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/soeharto-okays-construction-of-huge-monument-in-bali-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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