Kemensetneg Does Not Approve Of Monas As The Location For Formula E Races

Anies Baswedan with representatives of FIA Formula E (Instagram @aniesbaswedan)

JAKARTA - The Ministry of State Secretariat (Kemensetneg) does not approve that the National Monument (Monas) is used as the location for the Formula E racing event.

This was conveyed by the Secretary of the State Secretary Setya Utama after a meeting of the Steering Committee for the Medan Merdeka Area at the Ministry of State Secretariat Office, Central Jakarta, Wednesday.

Setya said, the main reason for the State Secretary as the Head of the Steering Committee to prohibit the Governor of DKI Jakarta Anies Baswedan from holding the electric car race is because Monas is a cultural heritage.

"The Steering Committee does not approve if it is carried out in the Monas area. There are many considerations. There is a cultural heritage there, then there is asphalting," said Setya, Wednesday, February 5 evening.

Kemensetneg has not formally conveyed the prohibition by means of a written letter. The reason is, said Setya, this decision was only discussed at the meeting yesterday which mainly discussed the revitalization of Monas.

However, Kemensetneg still supports the implementation of Formula E. "It is permitted, but outside the Monas area," he said.

For information, Formula E is the second most popular racing tournament after Formula 1. The difference with Formula 1 is that Formula E already uses an electric powered engine so it is emission-free. Later this speeding action will be held on a highway that has been converted into a temporary circuit.

Various preparations were immediately carried out, including preparing the track for the Formula E race. It is planned that the race will cross the area within Monas and Jalan Medan Merdeka Selatan. The International Automotive Federation (FIA) Formula E will cover the track inside the Monas area using asphalt.

This racing event will be held on June 6, 2020. It is planned that this event will be held for 5 consecutive years.

In order to be able to hold Formula E, the DKI Provincial Government has proposed the DKI budget in the APBD to reach around Rp1.6 trillion. In detail, there is a budget of IDR 360 billion for the commitment fee to the Formula E federation.

In addition, a budget of Rp. 934 billion was disbursed for organizing funds which will be managed by the Jakarta Education and Sports Agency (Dispora). Separately, DKI BUMD, namely PT Jakarta Propertindo (JakPro), also requires a budget of IDR 305.2 billion for the cost of implementing it.