The Halim Airbase Area Is Called Urban Forest, Similar To GBK

PDI-P Secretary General Hasto Kristiyanto (Photo: PDIP Documentation)

JAKARTA - PDI-P Secretary General Hasto Kristiyanto said the Halim Perdanakusuma Air Base area plays a role as an urban forest. He also mentioned that the green open space there is the same as Gelora Bung Karno (GBK).

"Like Gelora Bung Karno, the Halim complex has become the lungs of Jakarta," said Hasto while riding a leisurely bike ride with his colleagues, Defense University doctoral students at Halim Air Base, Saturday, April 3.

He said Halim Airbase is an oxygen-producing green space for Jakarta. Hasto feels this way when cycling.

"In a cloudy atmosphere we can breathe life oxygen from this place. It's really extraordinary. Actually it would take longer but it still drizzled," he said.

Hasto also said Halim Airbase is a location that has various functions. Apart from the air military defense center, it also contributes to providing oxygen supplies for Jakarta. "Protecting the air and guarding our sovereign territory is very important," said Hasto.

The bicycle event felt special because of the participation of the Minister of Social Affairs Pramono Anung Wibowo, Minister of Law and Human Rights Yasonna Laoly, Deputy Chairman of the MPR Ahmad Basarah, Rector of the Defense University, Vice Admiral TNI Dr. A. Octavian, and Commander of the National Air Defense Command, TNI Marsda Novyan Samyoga.

Despite the drizzle, the group was enthusiastic. They prepare bicycles and supporting equipment such as helmets and gloves before departing from the front of Makohanudnas, Halim. The cyclists can cover a distance of 26 km in about 1 hour 15 minutes.

When the moment of friendship was after cycling, Hasto praised Pramono Anung for being able to pedal a bicycle up to 40 km per hour, and Yasonna's range of 30 km per hour. This event was even more exciting, the Minister for State Apparatus Empowerment and Bureaucratic Reform, Tjahjo Kumolo, appeared at the location.