Monas: Space wanted

Monas: Space wanted

Muninggar Sri Saraswati and Annastashya Emmanuelle, The Jakarta
Post, Jakarta

The National Monument, which sits in the middle of the capital
and is known almost universally as Monas, serves numerous
functions for residents and visitors of Jakarta.

For street vendors, its grounds offer the opportunity to make
a living, as Monas remains one of the city's best-known landmarks
and a popular tourist destination, attracting an average of
800,000 visitors a year.

And then there are those who, once night falls, use the park
for other activities.

"I often find condoms when I clean the park in the morning,
especially after Friday or Saturday night," said one Monas
sanitation worker.

Much of the park is dirty and unpleasant. Many of the over
10,000 trees are diseased. The pond in the middle of the park is
polluted, though this doesn't stop homeless people from using it
to bathe and wash their clothes.

The deputy head of the City Park Agency, A. Susanto, said that
every Monday his workers collected up to three and a half truck-
loads of garbage at Monas, compared to one and half on other
days.

He also said the city administration spent Rp 5 billion each
year to maintain the monument.

On Sunday mornings, the park is transformed into a huge market
for inexpensive goods.

"This place is all right for family recreation," said Eben
Manik, 37, who works for a private company.

But Eben, who has been visiting the park since he was a boy,
added: "It is not as nice as it used to be."

In 1954, the government began work on the monument, which was
to stand in the center of 100 hectares of land. The purpose of
Monas was to commemorate the country's independence, as well as
to develop a tourist attraction for the world community.

Fifteen years later, the city administration began to develop
82 hectares as a green belt, namely Medan Merdeka park.

The administration specifically proposed the park serve as a
"civil center" that would enhance the image of the monument as
the symbol of the city.

But the city administration has allowed parties to develop
buildings in the park. During the economic crisis in 1998,
Governor Sutiyoso approved the building of cafes "to help the
needy".

And now a building has popped up in the park for the one-week
Regional Autonomy exhibition, which ends on Sunday.

In response to criticism of the "misuse" of the park, Sutiyoso
calmly said he approved the building because it was temporary.

It is certainly true that there have been many projects
undertaken with the stated intention of improving Monas park. The
problem is that these projects often overlap. One might start
before the previous one is completed or, even worse, a project
that has just been completed might be demolished and replaced by
a new project.

Currently there are at least 15 institutions managing the
park, each with its own responsibilities.

The National Monument management office, for example, is
responsible for the monument itself, while the Central Jakarta
mayoralty, the Public Order Office and the Civilian Guards
Regional Headquarters are responsible for maintaining order.

And there appears to be no coordination among them.

According to Gubernatorial Decree No. 51/2000, the City Park
Agency is in charge of technical plans and the development of the
park. However, Susanto said managing the park's development
required coordination with other institutions, including the City
Public Works Agency and the City Public Lightning Agency.

This agency confusion makes it evident that clearer
regulations on the management of Monas are needed.

Also necessary is a compromise between the city administration
and the vendors who work in the park, according to city landscape
architect Budi Sukada.

"The city administration could provide the vendors a location
in the area, lay down strict rules on sanitation and cite them
for any violations," he said.

Budi also said that Monas should not be used like parks in
Europe, but must rather accommodate Indonesian culture.

"It is not a part of our culture to have a picnic and stroll
in the park like Europeans, therefore why not accommodate the
concept of alun-alun, which we are more familiar with," he said,
referring to the main squares commonly found in towns in Java
where people gather and vendors sell their goods.

"This is more realistic than trying to instill a concept we
are not accustomed to," Budi said.