Finally, The Steering Committee Approved Monas To Be The Formula E Racing Route

DKI Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan when meeting with Formula E CEO Alejandro Agag in New York (Photo: Instagram @aniesbaswedan)

JAKARTA - The Medan Merdeka Area Steering Committee, chaired by the Minister of State Secretary (Mensesneg), finally approved the implementation of Formula E in the National Monument (Monas) area.

This agreement was concluded on Friday, February 7. In fact, on Wednesday, February 5, the State Secretary did not approve of DKI Jakarta Governor Anies to hold an electric car racing event at Monas.

"Yes, after the meeting on the 5th, no and only welcome in the area on Jalan Medan Merdeka Selatan are welcome. But then Komrah reviewed it," said Secretary of the Ministry of State Secretariat Setya Utama when confirmed, Sunday, February 9.

"The official response letter dated February 7 approved the implementation in the Medan Merdeka area, but taking into account several things, mainly it must be carried out in accordance with statutory regulations," he added.

The regulations governing the arrangement of the Medan Merdeka Area, including Monas, refer to Presidential Decree (Keppres) Number 25 of 1995 concerning the Development of the Free Medan Area in DKI Jakarta.

In article 1, the Medan Merdeka Area includes Taman Medan Merdeka, a buffer zone and a protective zone. Medan Merdeka Park is an area bounded by Jalan Medan Merdeka Utara, Jalan Medan Merdeka Barat, Jalan Medan Merdeka Selatan, and Jalan Medan Merdeka Timur.

In addition, the arrangement of the Medan Merdeka Area is also regulated in Law No.11 of 2010 concerning Cultural Heritage. Everyone must maintain the beauty, the preservation of tree vegetation and the cleanliness of the environment in the Medan Merdeka area.

Furthermore, this agreement prompted DKI Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan to rethink the plan to change the route to become an emission-free car racing circuit.

When asked for a comment, Anies did not say for sure whether he would continue to use the Monas route or change the route.

"The response will be later," said Anies after attending the event at the Muhammadiyah Da'wah Center, Menteng, Central Jakarta, Monday, January 10.

Some time ago, the Minister of State Secretary as the Steering Committee for the Medan Merdeka Area did not approve of DKI Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan to hold Formula E through the National Monument (Monas) area.

"There are many variable factors, such as the number of turns, the level of difficulty, and the limit of kilometers because (car fuel) uses batteries," said Anies, Thursday, February 6.

The main reason for the State Secretary as the Head of the Steering Committee to prohibit Anies from holding the electric car race is because Monas is a cultural heritage.

At that time, Kemensetneg did not formally convey the prohibition by means of a written letter. Because, said Setya, this decision was only discussed on Thursday, February 5, which mainly discussed the revitalization of Monas. Even so, Kemensetneg still supports the implementation of Formula E.

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

The DKI Provincial Government proposes that the DKI budget in the APBD reaches 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.