Flying the flag, Sutiyoso spend another Rp 3.5b
Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso looks set to continue with his ivory tower projects, with Rp 3.5 billion (US$411,765) to be spent on relocating the Bendera Pusaka (heirloom flag) from the State Palace to the National Monument (Monas).
The latest money-burning project comes despite the fact that Jakarta has one of the lowest human development indices of any city in the world.
The project will be funded by taxpayers' money and has already been approved by the City Council in the 2003 revised city budget.
The flag, which used to be hoisted during the Independence Day ceremony at Merdeka Palace, will be lodged in a gold-plated box in the Independence Room inside Monas.
The historical Garuda statue, Nusantara (archipelago) map and proclamation text will also be encased in gold and put on show in the room along with the flag.
Jakarta Culture and Museums Agency director Nurhadi said on Tuesday that some Rp 500 million of the money would be spent on ceremony marking the relocation of the flag from the State Palace to Monas.
Nurhadi said that the project was being undertaken to show respect for Indonesia's heroes, particularly former First Lady Fatmawati, the third wife of founding president Sukarno.
"Indonesia's independence declaration was marked by the waving of this flag, which was hand-sewn by Ibu Fatmawati," he said.
Given what has been happening of late, it comes as no surprise that President Megawati Soekarnoputri, the eldest daughter of Sukarno and Fatmawati, has reportedly endorsed the project.
The flag relocation project is not the only "improvement" project undertaken by Sutiyoso at Monas.
He was roundly criticized for fencing off Monas park and turning it into something of a private deer park earlier this year. Then he got the bright idea of imitating the Hollywood Walk of Fame by having the footprints of former presidents -- including former strongman Soeharto -- incorporated into the pedestrian walkway in front of Merdeka Palace.
Another of his expensive, more-nationalist-than-thou projects was the construction of the Gen. Soedirman statue at Dukuh Atas in Central Jakarta, which was inaugurated on Aug. 16.
Apparently not satisfied with all of this, he was then inspired to coat the Arjuna Wijaya statue with bronze.
And meanwhile, the vast majority of the city's residents continue to wallow in squalor and the garbage goes uncollected as usual.
Monas management office director Surya Dharma Basri said that the relocation process would be preceded by the installation of a new security system, including closed-circuit television (CCTV), to enable the monitoring of the flag and other historical items from both the State Palace and City Hall.
The room would also need to be renovated as the flag would be placed in a box coated with 24-carat gold. Not to mention the gold coatings for the other three historical items.
Surya said that there would also be a mini indoor garden outside the room, dominated, needless to say, by red and white flowers.
"The project is expected to be officiated on Oct. 28 in line with the commemoration of Youth Pledge Day," he said.
With many people are still suffering from the effects of fires and evictions recently, Sutiyoso proudly stated that the cost of the project was cheap at the price.
"If the flag were to be fully unfolded, we would need Rp 6.5 billion," he said, referring to the original proposal in the budget revision.
Last week, more than 1,000 houses were razed by fire in Karet Tengsin, Central Jakarta, while an eviction operation in Tambora, West Jakarta, left around 10,000 people homeless.
Sutiyoso was also criticized for splurging out Rp 14 billion on the renovation of the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle and fountain last year.