Jakarta's history important, says Surjadi Soedirdja

JAKARTA (JP): Governor Surjadi Soedirdja said he wanted Jakarta to become a city which reflected on its history.

"A good city is one which can talk about its history," Surjadi said yesterday when opening a seminar on renovating old cities.

But Surjadi said it was hard to maintain the city's historical features because it involved controlling the private sector which dominated the city's development.

He said developers should not just copy the architecture of other countries' buildings.

"We want the city to have its own characteristics" to make it attractive for its citizens and tourists, Surjadi said.

The seminar, an exchange between city planners and officials, runs until Friday and is organized by the city's renovation agency and the private Tarumanegara University.

Participants are from 12 cities including Jakarta, Medan in North Sumatra, Ujungpandang in South Sulawesi and Singaraja in Bali.

Speakers at yesterday's session included Wisnu Murti Ardjo from the city's renovation agency. Today, Adjie Damais from the city's museum and history agency will speak at the seminar.

The head of the city's architecture team, M. Danisworo, will also speak.

Organizers said the seminar aimed to socialize several laws and rules which supported historical site preservation. These included the 1992 law on artifacts.

The talks will also discuss regulation enforcement constraints in big cities.

The issues specifically related to historical preservation are property investment and urban land planning.

The city has launched a project to revitalize downtown Kota and other historical sites. The plans for North Jakarta incorporate the renovation and preservation of the old Fish Market and the Sunda Kelapa port area. (02/anr)