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.