Monas Gets Scrubdown After 22 Years Without Bathing

Jakarta Globe, Lenny Tristia Tambun, May 06, 2014

Finalists in the Abang None Jakarta pageant rehearse at the National
Monument (Monas) on July 2, 2013. (Photo courtesy of @abnonjakarta).

Jakarta. One of Jakarta’s most iconic landmarks, the National Monument, will be washed this week and next for the first time in decades.

“Today we commenced [the cleaning] and some experts from Germany will come on Thursday to clean the obelisk,” monument manager Rini Haryani said on Monday.

Usually referred to as Monas, shortened from Monumen Nasional, the obelisk stands in the center of a grassy park in Central Jakarta that attracts thousands of tourists every day, along with hawkers, street performers and local children kicking footballs.

Sukarno, Indonesia’s first president, ordered the construction of the 132-meter tower, which opened to the public in 1975.

The grounds and other attractions will remain open during the cleaning, scheduled to end on May 18, but the top of the monument will be off limits.

“Visitors can still visit the National History Museum and the Hall of Independence, they are still open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m,” Rini said.

German company Kaercher, known for its work on public monuments, has taken on the mammoth task of washing away 22 years of discoloring dirt and Jakarta pollution. The company recently changed its Facebook cover photo to an illustration of two figures abseiling down the structure’s facade.

Kaercher cleaned the monument in 1992 — the last time it had a professional rinse. Rini said the company would use special heavy duty equipment.

Jakarta Deputy Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama said he had entrusted Kaercher with the task because it did well in 1992 and because of its strong international reputation.

“First of all it is free,” he said. “Many companies offered us to clean it up for free, but we need a company that has experience… and we want to be able to promote our landmark.”

Kaercher has cleaned over 80 global landmarks, including the London Eye in England and Mount Rushmore in the United States.

Basuki dismissed criticism over his choice of a foreign company.

“There are many other historical monuments in Jakarta that need to be cleaned up,” he said. “Why don’t they make a fuss about these monuments?”

The city has invited residents and visitors to attend an event during which they can participate in the cleaning on May 15.

Monas last underwent major maintenance between Oct. 21 and Dec. 15, when its elevator system was replaced.

Tens of Thousands of Workers Flock in Monas to Commemorate Labor Day

BERITAJAKARTA.COM — 5/1/2010 5:45:04 PM

May Day action by tens of thousands of workers, centered in Monas area, Central Jakarta, Saturday (5/1), was marked with tension. The tension began as the demonstrators attempted to break through personnel barricades, to step forward to Merdeka Palace. However, it did not end up with a clash. A worse condition could be prevented by police officers who then sprayed tear gas at the demonstrators.

During the action, police arrested a man suspected of being a provocateur. The man was spotted while making oration outside the rally material. He also set fire to photographs of a number of state officials.

Supriyadi Siregar, one of the demonstrators from the Legal Aid Institute (LBH) in Jakarta, said he did not know the identity of the arrested man. "The police immediately brought away the provocateur," he stated.

In their action, the demonstrators chanted yells while demanding the government of SBY-Boediono to put more concerns on the fate of workers. Meanwhile, some demonstrators who claimed to be the members of the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) expressed their refusal to a mass layoff and the dismissal of labor unions.

Based on beritajakarta.com observation, before heading to Merdeka Palace, the demonstrators conducted a long march from Hotel Indonesia Traffic Circle. They came from various mass elements; some of them were the Federation of Indonesian Metal Workers Union or Federasi Serikat Pekerja Metal Indonesia (FSPMI), the Alliance of Indonesian Fishermen, the Alliance of Indonesian Peasants, and Jakarta Workers Forum.

The demonstrators delivered several demands to the government; among others, the existence of social health insurance, the life pension guarantee for formal workers, and the abolition of outsourcing system.

In the meantime, Central Jakarta Traffic Police Chief Comr. Slamet Asenan said in order to avoid severe traffic congestion during the rally; traffic at some locations was diverted.

Traffic from Harmony heading to Merdeka Palace was directed to Jl Juanda, and the traffic from Gambir railway station was transferred to Jl RVeteran Raya; while three was no traffic change on Jl M.H. Thamrin.

Translator: halim

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Family time

The Jakarta Post, Fri, 01/01/2010 5:37 PM | Jakarta

Hundreds of residents line up to enter a car that will surround the National Monument area in Central Jakarta, on Friday. People in the capital enjoyed the New Year holiday with their families at the recreational site. (Antara/Ujang Zaelani)

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Beach holiday

The Jakarta Post, Fri, 01/01/2010 8:11 PM

Thousands of residents spend their New Year holiday at Parangtritis Beach, Yogyakarta, on Friday. They packed the recreational site despite strong waves. (JP/Tarko Sudiarno)

Welcoming the New Year In a Time-Honored Way

Jakarta Globe, Lisa Siregar

Fireworks explode next to Jakarta landmark Welcome Statue

A year ago, I spent New Year’s Eve on an apartment balcony, watching the fireworks across the city with a good friend of mine. The view was amazing — especially when we caught the silhouette of a couple making love on the balcony of their apartment in the tower across from ours.

We reviewed our year, recalled some of 2008’s finest moments and enjoyed our monthly dose of MSG by way of a huge bag of potato chips. We agreed it was a nice way to start the new year.

This year, however, I was at a loss when it came to deciding how to celebrate. The nation was mourning the passing of two prominent figures: former President Abdurrahman “Gus Dur” Wahid, who passed away on Wednesday, and former Finance Minister Frans Seda, who passed away less than 24 hours later.

This was gloomy news to end the decade on as both men were known for their hard work in support of pluralism.

So my friend Salim and I were not really sure about how to celebrate on Thursday night. We felt it would be inconsiderate to party hard, and we just weren’t in the mood for dressing up and hitting the town.

We ended up with no plans beyond Salim’s intention to cook dinner and maybe stroll downtown before midnight — something I had never done before.

I arrived at Salim’s place hours early and watched him light red candles on the balcony of his apartment. Salim is Chinese and believes that the color red brings good luck. He also told me not to do the dishes after dinner, because according to the tradition for Lunar New Year, it would wash the prosperity away. This despite me reminding him that it was the Roman New Year we were celebrating.

“You know, Gus Dur would be proud to see us. We can’t celebrate New Year any more pluralistically than this,” I said.

Although the city government had announced that it was moving the annual New Year’s celebration from Monas, Central Jakarta, to Ancol, North Jakarta, at 8 p.m., a local news portal announced that people had started to flock to Central Jakarta. So, after cooking a mouth-watering dinner, we decided to head to the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle on Jalan Sudirman and Jalan Thamrin.

I have seen pictures of New Year’s celebrations at the traffic circle many times, but it was far more intense and exciting to be there in person, together with thousands of others who had braved the traffic to join the public celebration.

Children were running around playing, and adults were busy taking photos with their mobile phones. In the air hung a mixture of cigarette smoke, firecracker smoke and the fumes from vehicle emissions. Every few minutes we stopped to take photos and watch the fireworks being fired into the air by revelers.

After staying at the traffic circle for about 15 minutes to survey the scene, we headed for Merdeka Square, and by midnight we had arrived at Monas, where everything was in confusion because the official countdown had moved to Ancol.

There were at least three rounds of people wishing each other “Happy New Year!” according to their own time pieces, and we joined in enthusiastically each time, until we realized that there was a huge analog clock on one of the nearby buildings, giving the “official” time.

By the end of the evening I was exhausted but happy because I was with a friend and with my countrymen, sharing a memorable experience. And despite breaking my favorite pair of sandals on the long walk to Monas, spending New Year’s Eve this way was an eye-opener that was worth the trouble.

Salim said it was “a gentle reminder for us that there are people out there who probably cannot go to the comfortable spaces we go to every day.”

Thank you, my friend, for the experience and the wisdom and new cultural values I learned. The steak was good, too.

Jakarta New Year Eve Revelry to Be Moved From Monas

The Jakarta Globe, Nivell Rayda

Crowds ring in the start of 2009 in Central Celebrations this New Year's Eve will be moved to alternate parts of the city. (Photo: EPA)

The city administration has announced plans to move New Year Eve celebrations from the center of the city in a bid to ease the crippling effects of the often deadly celebrations on traffic, as well as to cut down on the damage caused to the National Monument Park.

Muhayat, Jakarta’s provincial secretary, said the city would hold its official celebrations at Ancol in North Jakarta and the Taman Mini Indonesia Indah theme park in East Jakarta, and not at the National Monument (Monas) as in previous years.

“Gardens inside the complex have sustained a lot of damage after previous New Year’s celebrations and the surrounding streets have also experienced heavy traffic. We want to avoid that by moving the celebrations elsewhere,” he was quoted by Antara as saying.

He said other moves by the administration to reduce disorder included limiting this year’s New Year celebrations to 3 a.m., adding that restaurants and bars that breached the regulations “would be fined.”

Another policy was a crackdown on dangerous firecrackers, very much a feature of celebrations in the past, with raids planned for traditional markets between Christmas and New Year’s Eve.

Sr. Comr. Boy Rafli Amar, Jakarta Police spokesman, said they were still discussing which places required heavier security.

“We plan to have more officers along the major streets where traffic is usually congested. We will allow people to parade in the street but we shall not tolerate any infractions,” he said.

Last year, police estimated a crowd of 300,000 people, including 100,000 motorcyclists, flocked to the city’s center, bringing traffic to a standstill. The areas most badly affected included the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle and roads leading to Monas, Ancol in North Jakarta, and Taman Mini.

Dozens of major traffic accidents and numerous deaths or injuries are also a feature of the annual, often rowdy celebrations, mainly involving young males, a number of whom are drunk.

Boy said more than 16,000 police officers from Jakarta Police would be deployed to safeguard the capital.

He said on a normal shift, 9,000 police officers were deployed in the capital, but that would be boosted by 7,300 during the festivities. That total number accounts for two-thirds of Jakarta’s police force.

“The additional officers will include those from Jakarta Police’s crime prevention department, traffic control, detectives and the Mobile Brigade [Brimob],” he said. “The bomb squad will be on high alert and standing by although they won’t be deployed to patrol the streets.”

Boy said that on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, every church in the capital would be guarded, particularly during prayer services.

The Christmas Eve bombings, including five attacks on churches in Jakarta, in 2000, left eight people dead and many others injured. The attacks, blamed on Al Qaeda and Jemaah Islamiyah, were allegedly planned by Riduan Isamuddin, better known as Hambali, who was once described as Asia’s Osama bin Laden. He is currently believed to be in detention in Guantanamo Bay.

Another implicated in the plot was hard-line cleric Abu Bakar Bashir, though he was found not guilty of involvement in 2003.

On Friday, it was reported that a church under construction in the Harapan Indah Housing Complex in Bekasi was attacked by hundreds of people marching home from a parade to mark the Islamic New Year on Thursday.

Boy refuted the story, which was reported by a number of media outlets, including the Jakarta Globe, saying the incident was a case of theft.

“A man broke into the construction site and stole drills and equipment. By coincidence there was a parade nearby: the two weren’t related,” he said. “It wasn’t an attack. So we won’t be taking extra precautions such as increasing patrolling officers.”

New Year eve celebration in Ancol, not Monas

Indah Setiawati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Fri, 12/18/2009 12:15 PM

The city administration has decided to hold a New Year eve celebration in Ancol recreational area in North Jakarta.

Head of the Culture and Tourism Agency Arie Budiman said Thursday the Ancol management would organize the event.

“The place is spacious and people are used to gathering there,” Arie said.

The city used to celebrate the turning of the year at the National Monument (Monas) park in Central Jakarta.

Monas management unit director Rini Hariyani said the city administration had stopped using the city’s landmark as the venue of New Year eve celebration to protect the facility.

She said people could get carried away with the celebration and littered in the park at will.

“I am also afraid the fireworks can harm the monument. We haven’t conducted major renovation of the facility for quite a long time,” she said recently.

Governor Says Monas to Get Its Own Demonstration Corner

The Jakarta Globe, Ulma Haryanto

A man enjoys watches the sun set over Jakarta at the National Monument in Central Jakarta. (Photo: Fanny Octavianus, Antara)

The days of demonstrators converging on the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle are numbered.

The Jakarta administration said it would soon designate an area in National Monument (Monas) Park where protesters could convene and hold rallies.

Governor Fauzi Bowo said the convergence of people at the famous traffic circle was causing damage to the structure, particularly the fountain.

“People who come together [at the traffic circle] often cause damage to the ornaments in the fountain,” Bowo said, as quoted by state-run news agency Antara on Sunday. “Whether it’s the broken concrete edges that are repeatedly stamped on by people or the water spouts that have been clogged by garbage.”

Last week, the city administration announced that it was setting aside Rp 2 billion ($212,000) to make over the fountain in time for Christmas.

Activists have long preferred to hold rallies at the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle, situated on Jalan MH Thamrin, because of the number of people who pass through the area and its proximity to hotels and establishments where foreigners stay and visit.

Hotel Indonesia traffic circle

The planned demonstration area in Monas, located about a kilometer from the traffic circle, will be able to accommodate up to 10,000 people, Fauzi said.

The governor said t he specially designated section would be located at the junction of Jalan Medan Merdeka Selatan and Jalan Medan Merdeka Barat.

However, Fauzi did not say when the area would be ready to accommodate demonstrations.

“The entrance gate [to the monument] will be pushed back 50 to 100 meters from its current position,” Fauzi said. “We are also going to set up a stage where demonstrators can speak.”

“Of course protesters need to secure a permit from the police first before going there,” the governor added.

Fauzi’s decision to move protests away from the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle comes on the heels of a rally that was canceled by the governor late last month.

Members of the Anticorruption Civil Society Coalition (Kompak) were scheduled to hold a rally on Nov. 29, a car-free Sunday in the city, but were turned away at the last minute on the order of Fauzi.

Authorities demanded the protesters disperse, accusing them of violating a 2007 bylaw on public order.

Fauzi reportedly said that he would no longer issue permits for personal events at the traffic circle, saying they would be limited to car-free Sundays and sports events.

The governor’s actions drew criticism from activists, experts and even Home Affairs Minister Gamawan Fauzi.

According to the governor, however, Monas is just as strategically located as the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle and will be able to attract large crowds, without the attendant property damage.

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Outdated version of history remains today's reference

Angela Dewan, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

At the National History Museum beneath the National Monument (Monas) in Central Jakarta, hundreds of schoolchildren from Central Java were told a particular version of history portraying former president Soeharto as a symbol of strength and benevolence. On the same day, the former president was still lying weakly in a Jakarta hospital.

The museum exhibits dioramas that span from prehistoric Indonesia until 1992, when Soeharto made a plea for peace and stability at the Tenth Conference for the Non-Aligned Movement.

The exhibition glorifies the military in its fight for independence. Of the 13 dioramas that contain information from during Sukarno's presidency, his name is mentioned only twice whereas the military is praised in five of the 13 dioramas.

The museum was founded by Soeharto himself. Founding president Sukarno began construction of the National Monument in 1961, however, it was Soeharto who finished the construction in 1975 and was in the position to then create the museum.

The museum usually attracts at least 500 visitors on weekdays and 10,000 visitors during school holidays. The museum records Indonesia's history only until 1992, six years prior to the fall of the Soeharto government, which is given no mention.

The year 1965 is ignored, except for the murder of the seven generals in an attempted coup blamed on the communists. Nothing is mentioned about the alleged massacre of at least 500,000 people, according to the most conservative estimate. Other reports say two million alleged communists and communist sympathizers were killed in the period following the failed coup.

The museum also only mentions the 1966 student movement, while the 1974, 1978 and 1998 student protests against Soeharto receive no mention.

"What content we can use depends on the policies of the government," says Ageng Darimintono, the deputy head of administration at Monas. "The government has power over the museums, especially the National Monument because it is such a powerful source of information."

Indri, a junior high school teacher from Central Java, said, "I think the museum is very useful for my students. I don't think they should talk about killings because it is just a rumor that they happened."

After the 1998 reformasi, the contents of history books for schoolchildren have been the center of an ongoing debate. The contents of the museum, however, remain outdated and inaccurate.

Ageng remains hopeful. "Last year there was a seminar in Bogor aimed at redesigning the dioramas in this museum. It is under the ministers for education, and tourism and culture. They want to give information about what happened in 1965."

Ageng believes that it may be possible to exhibit the information should Soeharto pass away.

As Soeharto lies in the hospital, some students and activists protest about alleged killings throughout the 32 years of his rule, while others continue to visit the National History Museum.

Ageng awaits the opportunity for change. "We would like to make this monument something to be proud of."

Fauzi Bowo calls Jakartans to be optimist in facing New Year

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Jakarta Governor Fauzi Bowo called on all Jakarta residents to be optimistic in facing the year`s vhange-over and make Jakarta a pleasant and safe city.

"In facing the new year, all the people (of Jakarta) should jointly create peace and order which has already begun to be realized in 2007," he said before a crowd celebrating New Year`s eve at the National Monument (Monas) Park early on Tuesday.

He also expressed gratitude to all people who had taken part in the creation of a conducive and safe Jakarta.

Previously, before proceeding to the Monas Park, the governor asked the management of the Ancol to hold a free entertainment for the people in the celebration of several occasions routinely.

"I call and instruct the Ancol management to hold such a free-of-charge event for the people of Jakarta, mainly on the occasion of the Jakarta`s anniversary," he added.

He also asked the Ancol management to accommodate the artists` interest in the form of fixed stage in the area.

Some two millions of people attended the New Year`s eve celebration in Ancol and in Monas Park.

Greenpeace to camp in Monas park

JAKARTA (The Jakarta Post) : Greenpeace will launch the Forest Defenders Camp Satellite Station (FDCSS) at Monas Park in Jakarta on Saturday, the organization said Friday.

The FDCSS will showcase the beauty and destruction of the pristine rain forests of Indonesia, highlighting their impacts on biodiversity and climate in an exhibit of photos, cultural performances, lectures and short films.

The event will disseminate information compiled by Greenpeace's Forest Defenders Camp in Riau, stationed near a peatland forest cleared for palm oil plantations, and support the organization's campaign to include deforestation talks in the next phase of the Kyoto agreement.

With support from the Jakarta administration, the event will feature local artists and musicians from Nov. 3 to 11.

Visitors will get an opportunity to send messages of support to Greenpeace volunteers and the community of Kuala Cenaku in Riau, and to sign up to send environmental messages to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Forestry Minister MS Kaban.