Erick Thohir And Acting Governor Of DKI Heru Budi Decided To Change Monas Design For Green Again After Anies' Revitalization

Photo by Uray Zulfikar on Unsplash

JAKARTA - SOE Minister Erick Thohir and Acting Governor of DKI Jakarta Heru Budi Hartono agreed to re-design the National Monument (Monas) area to be greener.

This decision, said Erick, is the result of synergy in managing government-owned assets in Jakarta. Improvements to public areas of government-owned assets will also be carried out in the Sarinah area.

"On the Sarinah terrace, until Monas is part of the public, the area is maximum. From Sarinah to Monas, we have to synchronize. Monas is certainly a public part, a very green area," said Erick at the Ministry of SOEs, Wednesday, October 19.

According to Erick, the Monas area as a national icon must prioritize the concept of reforestation, such as the concept of the hjau area at the Bung Karno Complex (GBK). Erick also asked Heru to take care of the design changes.

"Later, Mr. Heru will design (the Monas area), with the Minister of State Secretary so that this can be green again. This green is not a responsibility. If it's Senayan, the GBK Complex, is it good or not? It's good, isn't it," said Heru.

Heru admitted that he would still coordinate with the Minister of State Secretary as Chairman of the Steering Committee for the Medan Merdeka Area. Moreover, the Monas area is also an asset belonging to the central government managed by the DKI Jakarta Provincial Government.

"Later on, it will be the same, because it belongs to the central government," said Heru.

For information, the Monas design was last changed by former DKI Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan to carry out the revitalization of Monas. The Monas revitalization project, which began in early 2020, had caused a polemic.

This is because the DKI Provincial Government has cut down about 190 trees for the construction of the southern side of the plaza in the Monas area. This had angered the DKI Jakarta DPRD.

The revitalization of Monas was stopped for some time. Until finally, the revitalization was resumed with the DKI Provincial Government's record that it had to replant trees with a minimum number of three times that of being cut down.