Sutiyoso unveils statue amid waste crisis, evictions
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.