Forget poverty and dengue, Sutiyoso wants world's tallest tower
Forget poverty and dengue, Sutiyoso wants world's tallest tower
Damar Harsanto
The Jakarta Post
Jakarta
The fact that Indonesian people have a per capita income of only
US$710 per annum according to the World Bank does not appear to
embarrass the Jakarta Administration as it pushes ahead with its
plan to restart the construction of the 558-meter Jakarta Tower,
claimed to be the tallest tower in the world.
The Rp 2.7 trillion (US$314 million) project will stand tall
in Kemayoran, Central Jakarta, and will replace the capital's
current landmark, the National Monument (Monas), which was built
during the president Sukarno era.
The Jakarta Tower will be higher than the 553-meter Canadian
National Tower in Toronto, Canada, currently the world's tallest
tower.
Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso, accompanied by State Secretary
Bambang Kesowo, officiated at the restart of construction on
Thursday.
"This large-scale project when completed will become a symbol
of pride for Jakarta as well as Indonesia," Sutiyoso said.
He said the construction of the tower was in line with the
grand design in the capital's masterplan, which positioned the
Kemayoran area as a main center for development.
PT Prasada Japa Pamudja, a consortium of individuals and
medium-scale companies, is the sole developer of the project.
However, company director, Ferry Sangeroki, refused to name
those involved in the project, saying only that "more than 100
companies and individuals" were participating.
He said the project would be financed in three ways: equity
participation (Rp 400 billion), syndicated loans (between Rp 600
billion and Rp 800 billion) and pre-project sales (around Rp 1.3
trillion).
The Jakarta Tower compound will cover a total of 40,550 square
meters, comprising a 10,000-capacity convention center, a four-
star, 200-bedroom hotel, a 4,000-square-meter education center,
8,000 square meters of office space, a revolving restaurant and
an observation deck.
The tower is expected to be open by 2010.
The ground breaking ceremony for the Jakarta Tower took place
in 1997 during the time of governor Surjadi Soedirdja and state
secretary Moerdiono. The project's developer at that time was PT
Indocitra Grahabawana, which was owned by Sudwikatmono, former
president Soeharto's stepbrother.
The project had to be suspended due to the 1997 economic
crisis, which dealt a severe blow to all sectors, including
construction.