Monas park sees drop in attendance

Monas park sees drop in attendance

Novan Iman Santosa, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The National Monument (Monas) park, now encircled with a high
iron fence that cost Rp 8.7 billion, failed to bring in the same
number of visitors in the first weekend since it reopened.

"The number of visitors to the park has decreased compared to
the time before the construction of the fence," said Parlan, a
park employee.

Attendance records show that there were more than 2,000
visitors this weekend, which is far below the numbers set in
previous months.

"There were 3,825 visitors on Sept. 21 and Sept. 22, for
example," he said.

Parlan said that the decrease was probably because many
residents had not realized that the park had been reopened to the
public.

The fence project, which started in July, required the park to
close in order to finish the work from Dec. 10 until Dec. 16,
when it was reopened by Governor Sutiyoso.

The project drew harsh criticism from experts and urban
activists slammed the decision to evict most of the 2,000 street
vendors from the park.

There are now four controlled gates to enter the park while
647 street vendors have relocated to the parking lot.

Some visitors have complained that they had to walk quite far
before they could buy some refreshments, but others have welcomed
the park's new look, saying that it restored it as a recreational
site instead of a haven for street vendors.

"We can really enjoy the park. My children can run freely here
not like in our house," said Marsudi of Rawa Belong, West
Jakarta, on Sunday.

"It was a real hassle bringing our three children here as they
could easily get lost in the crowd with all the street vendors
around."

Abdul Rohim of Petamburan, West Jakarta, also enjoyed the
spaciousness of the park.

"Look around you. It is so quiet here now and we can enjoy the
atmosphere."

However, both Marsudi and Abdul Rohim said that it would be
better if there was no fence, but that its presence ensured the
park's security.

"Besides, you hardly notice the fence once you are in the
park, so I don't think it is something unpleasant," said Marsudi,
who was with his wife and three children.

Children were seen running in the park while their parents
watched. Several families were having lunch under the trees.

Even though the number of visitors has dropped, delman (horse
carriage) drivers have found that their earnings have increased
as the city administration has limited the number of horse
carriages operating in the park.

"I usually made Rp 100,000 on weekends, but now I can make
twice as much. We can move freely without the vendors around,"
Aang, a delman driver, said.

"It was worse on weekdays when I got next to nothing, however
I am bringing home some Rp 30,000 to Rp 50,000."

The drivers charge Rp 10,000 for a trip around the park and Rp
5,000 for a trip from the entrance gates to the monument.

Meanwhile, photographer Petrus Sitepu said the absence of
vendors made it easier for photographers to take better pictures.

"The vendors presented a problem for visitors who wanted their
pictures with Monas in the background," said Sitepu, who has been
working there for 25 years.

There may be a new park attraction in the near future as
Governor Sutiyoso has announced that he would bring in spotted
deer (Axis axis) from the Bogor Palace in Bogor.

However, experts have warned that having deer at the park
could be a blunder unless additional facilities, such as pools,
shady trees and bushes, are developed to prevent the animals from
suffering from undue stress.

Park visitors may have to wait at least six months before they
will see any deer as a team is conducting a study on the
feasibility of having the animals at the park.