HI circle, between history and reality

HI circle, between history and reality

Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

For most travelers passing Jl. Thamrin in Central Jakarta, the
newly-renovated Hotel Indonesia (HI) traffic circle is seen only
as a city decoration with its water fountains and the Welcome
Statue.

For activists, the circle is a hot spot for rallies ever since
the downfall of former president Soeharto in 1998.

But for elderly citizens who have been living in the capital
since the early 1960s or before, it is more than just an
ornament.

The hotel was the first high-rise building in the city, which
is now a "concrete jungle" with its many skyscrapers.

Many believe that the circle and the five-star Hotel Indonesia
was built to accommodate the Sixth Asian Games in 1962, and was
the start of development in the city's business center,
comprising Thamrin, Sudirman, and Kuningan roads.

The Welcome Statue depicting a cheerful couple waving their
arms up and carrying a bouquet, facing the direction of the
National Monument (Monas), was erected to welcome the sportsmen
participating at Senayan Stadium.

The Welcome Statue monument is 17-meters high with a 10-meter
high pedestal, while the bronze statue is seven-meters high. It
was made by Edhie Sunarso, 68, a sculptor from Yogyakarta upon
the order of Sukarno, the country's founding father.

In March this year, the renovation of the HI circle started
and was unveiled on June 22 in celebration of Jakarta's 475th
anniversary.

The project cost Rp 14 billion (about US$1.5 billion), which
included the installment of 46 water pumps and 341 nozzles for
the water fountain. The water fountain forms a red-and-white
configuration which is inspired by the red-and-white national
flag.

The head of the City Parks Agency, Mauritz Napitupulu, said
the monthly maintenance and operating costs for the traffic
circle and water fountain were estimated at some Rp 23 million.

These costs include security guards who have been hired to
patrol the circle on Sundays and public holidays.

Mauritz added that the water fountain operated between 7 a.m.
and 9 p.m., working for two hours and then being turned off for
one.

"How could the city administration spend such a lot of money
for the decorative project? I think the city leaders know that
there are still a lot of people who need jobs," said Hermanto,
35, an employee at a private company in Kota area, Central
Jakarta.

Hermanto may represent the voice of the younger generation who
are more pragmatic in viewing the reality in the capital.

He believes that spending Rp 14 billion for the project is
absurd. He said life in the city was hard with five street
singers taking turns singing on the city buses carrying him from
his house in Kebayoran Baru to his office in Kota.

"I think, it is better if the money is used to create jobs for
them. They are not a lazy men. They sing in the buses because
they have no other choice," Hermanto said, referring to the
street singers, vendors and beggars on the buses.

The city administration may argue that it did not spend a
single cent of money on the project as it is funded by an
advertising company in exchange of the right to install 10
strategically-located outdoor billboards.

For a man like Hermanto, such an argument does not make sense
as it is still the city's asset which can be used for more useful
activities for improving people's welfare.

But Rasmono, 67, who has been living in the capital since the
mid 1950s, believes that the renovation project is a way for the
younger generation to respect the older generation.

Rasmono, who has a small kiosk in Kebon Kacang subdistrict,
Central Jakarta -- some 200 meter from the circle -- said that as
a Jakarta resident, he was proud of having such a beautiful
monument.

For Rasmono and some other elderly citizens, witnessing the
new look HI circle remind them of Sukarno, the initiator of the
circle's construction.

Hermanto agreed with Rasmono that the younger generations
should appreciate the works their elders. "If our economic
condition is normal, carrying out such a project is OK. But now,
there are still many more urgent things which actually should
have become a priority," Hermanto said.