Sutiyoso unveils statue amid waste crisis, evictions
Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The unresolved issues of waste problems and forced evictions did not stop Governor Sutiyoso from officiating the unveiling of the bronze-coated Arjuna Wijaya statue at the intersection of Jl. Medan Merdeka Barat, Jl. Medan Merdeka Selatan, Jl. M.H. Thamrin and Jl. Budi Kemuliaan in Central Jakarta.
The ceremony caused a massive congestion in the area, as the administration erected a huge tent on Jl. Medan Merdeka Barat and blocked the roads heading to the area.
In his speech, Sutiyoso slammed the media for always seeing his city beautification projects "from a negative point of view".
"Clap your hands so that the press admit in their hearts that they actually like the statue," he told the audience.
He argued that the projects were a challenge for Jakarta to equal the metropolitan image of other major cities in the world.
The Rp 4 billion (US$470,588) project was carried out by noted Balinese artist Nyoman Nuarta in his Bandung studio. Nyoman created the statue in 1987 during the Soeharto administration.
The two-month project was funded by Bank NISP, which only requested that its name be engraved in the pedestal.
The statue, which depicts a chapter of the Bharatayudha epic when Arjuna is about to fight his half-brother Karna at Kurusetra, was originally covered in polyester resin, but Sutiyoso wanted it to be coated with bronze.
The bronze coating weighs a total of 3.6 tons.
Sutiyoso has been criticized by urban observers for his beautification projects, such as the Rp 9 billion National Monument (Monas) park fencing, the Rp 14 billion renovation of the Welcome Statue at the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle and the Rp 3.5 billion Gen. Sudirman statue.
The observers have called on the governor to invest more effort to resolve social problems.
Sutiyoso has kept silent on the possible waste crisis for Jakarta after the Bekasi municipal administration decided not to extend the Bantar Gebang dump site contract for the capital's 6,000 tons of daily garbage.
The governor has also been facing harsh criticism for his eviction policy, kicking out so-called squatters from their makeshift homes, even after Ramadhan had started. He had promised previously to halt evictions during the holy fasting month.
Jakarta has also declined to take part in a program initiated by the central government to provide 200,000 low-cost houses next year for families that make less than Rp 1.5 million a month.
The city administration prefers to boost development of commercial complexes instead of building low-cost housing, due to the skyrocketing price of land in the 661,000-hectare capital.