Foreign investors eye Sunda Kelapa harbor
Bambang Nurbianto, Jakarta
Numerous foreign businesspeople have expressed interest in investing in and managing potential tourist attractions in northern Jakarta, but first want the city administration to demonstrate its commitment to infrastructure development.
Bandar Jaya Foundation deputy chairman Setiawati said businesspeople from the United States, the Netherlands, Portugal and Singapore were looking into opportunities to manage heritage sites currently controlled by the Sunda Kelapa Maritime Tourist Management Board (BP Sunda Kelapa).
The Bandar Jaya Foundation is a nonprofit organization dealing with the development and preservation of heritage sites. Its affiliated company, PT Segara Siti Cunda Celapa, markets heritage sites to potential investors.
Setiawati declined to identify the businesspeople, but said one U.S. firm was interested in investing in the restoration of Sunda Kelapa port and its surrounding area in Penjaringan district, North Jakarta.
"If the administration is serious about developing the area, I am optimistic the project will be successful because there are many heritage sites that can be developed into points of interest for tourists," Setiawati told The Jakarta Post on Monday.
The head of BP Sunda Kelapa, Martono Yuwono, announced earlier that Governor Sutiyoso's administration would begin a renovation project on Sunday Kelapa port in conjunction with the city's 477th anniversary on June 22.
City Secretary Ritola Tasmaya confirmed the project, saying the administration and the City Council would discuss funding for the project when they deliberated the 2005 city budget.
Setiawati said the project had also received vocal support from the central government. She said Coordinating Minister for the Economy Dorodjatun Kuncoro-Jakti had met with city officials to discuss the issue.
Separately, the head of the preservation division at the Office of the State Minister for Culture and Tourism, Hardini Sumono, welcomed the plan, but stressed that the administration had to have a clear concept of how to develop the area.
She said any development of Sunda Kelapa and the surrounding area must not ignore the preservation of old sites, which were the selling points for the area as a historical and cultural tourist destination.
"I hope the city has a comprehensive concept for the proposed restoration. I think everyone welcomes the plan, although progress has been very slow compared to other countries," she told the Post.
The plan to develop Sunda Kelapa port began in 1990 when the Jakarta governor issued Decree No. 1072/1990 on the restoration and development of heritage sites on the 81 hectares of land encompassing the port and its immediate surroundings.
In 1993, another decree was issued to include the 200-year-old Luar Batang Mosque and the 9.6 hectares of land on which it sat in the Sunda Kelapa Maritime Tourist restoration and development project.
Among the heritage sites and points of interest in the Sunda Kelapa maritime tourism area are Sunda Kelapa port, the Fish Market (Pasar Ikan), Lookout Tower (Menara Syahbandar), numerous historic buildings and the other heritage sites in the Thousand Island regency.
I-Box
Chronology of the legal basis for Sunda Kelapa restoration plan
1. Gubernatorial Decree No. 1070/1990 on the restoration of heritage sites and the development of maritime tourism on 81 hectares of land in northern Jakarta. The area includes Sunda Kelapa port and the islands of Onrust, Cipir, Bidadari, Kelor and Untung Jawa. 2. Gubernatorial Decree No. 1621/1991 on the establishment of the Sunda Kelapa Maritime Tourist Management Board. 3. Gubernatorial Decree No. 1622/1991 on the membership of the Sunda Kelapa Maritime Tourist Management Board. 4. Gubernatorial Decree No. 120/1993 on the addition of the 9.6 hectares of land containing the Luar Batang Mosque to the Sunda Kelapa Maritime Tourism Zone.