Watch the Demolition of the Broken Monorail Pole, Sutiyoso: Honestly, My Heart is at Ease for Once

JAKARTA - Former DKI Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso admitted that he was relieved to witness the start of the demolition of the broken monorail pole on Jalan HR Rasuna Said. The demolition was inaugurated by Governor Pramono Anung today.

Sutiyoso said that the certainty of demolition was something he had been waiting for. The monorail pillars that stood without function for about two decades were considered to have long interfered with the aesthetics of the city.

"Honestly, today my heart is very relieved, yes, with the certainty that was announced by Governor Pramono this morning," said Sutiyoso at the location of the demolition of the Rasuna Said Street monorail pole, South Jakarta, Wednesday, January 14.

Sutiyoso admitted that he often felt sad every time he crossed Jalan Rasuna Said and saw that the project that was initiated during his leadership ended up being old iron.

"Hopefully, if I pass (Jalan Rasuna Said), this won't hurt my eyes anymore. All this time I keep thinking, it's sad," he said.

Sutiyoso said the monorail was part of a large concept of mass transportation to overcome the capital's congestion. Sutiyoso said that Jakarta's transportation network was designed to consist of four main modes, namely MRT, overhead monorail, Transjakarta, and waterway.

"So, finally I decided that the capital's transportation network consists of four modes," said Sutiyoso.

The construction of the monorail was then officially announced in 2004. At that time, the project was said to have a plan and investors. However, Sutiyoso's term of office ended in 2007. After that, the project did not continue consistently and eventually stopped completely.

During Fauzi Bowo's leadership, the monorail project was not continued until it finally stalled. In the era of Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama (Ahok), the monorail project was officially stopped.

Transportation mode on the line on Jalan Rasuna Said is now replaced by the Jabodebek LRT project. Finally, the monorail pillars that have stood up are left abandoned without clarity. "Since then, this total wreck, so old iron, so what is the name of this kind of thing that spoils the aesthetics of the city," said Sutiyoso.

According to Sutiyoso, this condition requires a firm decision. He assessed that demolition was a difficult choice, but it was unavoidable because the project could no longer be continued.

"There are only two choices, continue or dismantle. You can't continue, yes it will be dismantled. It's the worst choice, but we have to do it," he said.

He also appreciated the steps of the DKI Jakarta Provincial Government which involved various parties, including the Deputy Governor of DKI, the DKI Jakarta High Prosecutor's Office, and the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), in the process of arranging Jalan Rasuna Said.

Sutiyoso hopes that the arrangement will not stop at Rasuna Said, but also targets other sections that still have infrastructure that is still broken.

"I ask the public to support the continuation of this Rasuna Said arrangement, and I hope that it will also be disciplined in Senayan," said Sutiyoso.

The DKI Jakarta Provincial Government officially started demolishing the broken monorail pole along Jalan HR Rasuna Said, South Jakarta. The demolition was marked by the cutting of one of the monorail poles that had been abandoned for more than two decades.

The process was carried out together with a number of parties, ranging from former DKI Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso, Deputy Governor of DKI Jakarta Rano Karno, Head of the DKI Jakarta High Prosecutor's Office Patris Yusrian Jaya, to representatives of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).

In total, the DKI Provincial Government allocated around Rp. 102 billion in this work. Meanwhile, the special cost for cutting the monorail pole is only Rp. 254 million. Then, the rest is used for the overall arrangement of the area. The arrangement includes repairing the road body, water channels, sidewalks, parks, public street lighting, and other supporting facilities along Jalan Rasuna Said.