Sutiyoso opens controversial Sports Mall

Sutiyoso opens controversial Sports Mall

Zakki Hakim, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso officiated at the soft opening on
Saturday of the Sports Mall in Kelapa Gading, North Jakarta, and
signed the first of 83 spots on the Sports Walk of Fame that
stretches along the corridors of the mall.

The Sports Mall concept combines sports facilities with a
shopping center. It covers 32,000 square meters, of which 15,000
square meters is devoted to an international-standard basketball
hall. The rest houses commercial outlets, the rent from which
will be used to maintain the basketball hall.

The controversial mall, built by PT Satria Mahaka, is located
in a residential area and surrounded by 600 houses.

Edi, 38, a resident who lives a block away from the mall, told
The Jakarta Post that he was disappointed to see that the mall
had finally been built, despite the residents' complaints.

"We would have preferred to have an open space rather than a
commercial building," he said, adding that residents were worried
about the impact of having a mall in a residential area.

Edi referred to the possibility of environmental damage, heavy
traffic congestion, and an influx of street vendors and thugs,
who usually are to be found in the vicinities of shopping
centers.

Residents have long protested the construction of the mall as
the land was supposed to have been zoned for general and social
purposes. They brought their case to court only to lose to the
developer.

"Since we lost in court, we have had to accept the results,"
Edi said.

Sutiyoso, who is also chairman of the Indonesian Basketball
Association, said in his speech that he was aware that the
residents were unhappy.

He argued that Indonesia needed such a facility, which he
claimed was the best in Southeast Asia. He hoped that the
performance of the country's national squad would be boosted as a
result of the building of the facility.

Otje Sumarauw, marketing manager for the mall, said that
Saturday's soft opening would be followed by a grand opening in
January along with a marathon signing of the Sports Walk of Fame,
which will have 83 spots for internationally recognized
sportsmen.

Among the athletes expected to be immortalized in the Walk of
Fame are badminton legends Rudy Hartono, Susy Susanti and Alan
Budikusuma, former tennis player Yayuk Basuki and former sprinter
Purnomo.

Otje said that Sutiyoso had been asked to sign the first spot
as the governor has just received the 2003 National Sports
Official Award from President Megawati Soekarnoputri.