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.