Denies JIS Renovation Strengthening Politics, Chairman Of DKI DPRD: Central Government Wants To Help Nothing Wrong

Jakarta International Stadium (JIS) in North Jakarta. (Between)

JAKARTA - Chairman of the DKI Jakarta DPRD, Prasetyo Edi Marsudi, denied the assumption that the central government's plan to correct the shortage of a politically charged Jakarta International Stadium (JIS) was against former DKI Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan.

Prasetyo emphasized that the improvement of the stadium that was built in the Anies era was carried out in preparation for the U-17 World Cup in November.

"The central government wants to help, that's okay, there's nothing wrong with it. If it is included in the political realm, no. We want the U-17 World Cup. We as people of Jakarta should look bigger. Don't just say it's a political year, then put it into politics," said Prasetyo at the Hotel Borobudur, Central Jakarta, Thursday, July 6.

Moreover, Prasetyo emphasized that JIS had been planned since the previous governor. President Jokowi, when he was Governor of DKI, also laid the groundbreaking of the stadium, which is still called BMW, before finally stagnant due to dispute cases.

"That's the President's business to help Jakarta. Moreover, Pak Jokowi as President was once the Governor of DKI Jakarta and the one who created Pak Jokowi's first groundbreaking, his name used to be BMW Stadium," he said.

According to Prasetyo, JIS was built with a budget value of IDR 5 trillion for sports. However, until now, JIS has not yet sold as a match venue.

On that basis, the central government finally intervened to help fix the international standard stadium.

"Finally, Mr. Erick Thohir, Minister of PUPR, Mr. Governor, PSSI came to see. If there is a shortage, it must be corrected so that it can be used, functioned," said the PDIP politician.

Previously, the spokesman for the presidential candidate Anies Baswedan, Surya Tjandra, accused a number of President Joko Widodo's ministers of JIS of political origin.

According to Surya, the arrival of PUPR Minister Basuki Hadimuljono and SOE Minister Erick Thohir reviewed JIS and immediately set a renovation plan more like part of a politicization plan than for the implementation of the U-17 World Cup host.

This, said Surya, can be seen from the results of the government inspection which further highlighted the grass repair plan by inviting a grass contractor to the stadium in Tanjung Priok, North Jakarta.

"In fact, suddenly someone became a grass expert just to show the shortcomings of JIS. Obviously this is only intended for politicization of presidential candidate Anies Baswedan," Surya said in his statement, Wednesday, July 5.

According to this former PSI politician, it should be the one who can judge whether it is feasible or not is FIFA. Instead, it is considered unethical when someone who has a business interest is asked to provide an evaluation.

What is clear is that it has business interests. So what are the results of the evaluation can be trusted? Methodically, how can grass be sampled, which is outside the match line? He said.