Bung Karno memorial plaza in Senayan

JAKARTA (JP): Joining the rush to reclaim Indonesia's first president, Sukarno, the Senayan Sports Complex management plans to build the Bung Karno Memorial Plaza in the sports complex.

The memorial plaza will be built at the complex's Southeast Gate facing Jl. Sudirman, according to the Gelora Bung Karno Management Board (BPGBK).

The board's director, Yasidi Hambali, told reporters on Monday that the memorial plaza would be landscaped and boast a statue of the first president.

The project would be launched on June 6 in conjunction with the 100th anniversary of Bung Karno's birth.

The construction of the memorial plaza should be completed before the sports complex's 40th anniversary which will fall in September.

Yasidi, however, refused to reveal the budget being set aside to build the memorial plaza, saying that it would depend on the design selected.

The BPGBK management has organized a design competition for the plaza, but has not as yet been able to pick out a winner as none of the entries had met its requirements.

Nevertheless, the management has asked three designers to refine their entries. The management will likely accept one of the three designs after it has been being reworked. (nvn)