KSP Supports Bobby Nasution In Accelerating The Revitalization Of Medan Merdeka Square

ILLUSTRATION/BETWEEN/INDEPENDENT FIELD

JAKARTA - The Presidential Staff Office (KSP) encourages the Medan City Government to immediately accelerate the revitalization of Merdeka Square in Medan, North Sumatra, so that it can be immediately processed into a cultural heritage.

“Medan City's Merdeka Square has great historical value, which is certainly a source of pride for the people of North Sumatra, especially the city of Medan. For this reason, it is important to immediately process it as a cultural heritage," said Deputy Assistant II KSP Nuraini when meeting Medan City Secretary Wiriya Alrahman at Medan City Hall, quoted by Antara, Friday, October 22.

Merdeka Square in Medan, formerly known as the Esplanade, was built by the Dutch colonials in the 1880s as a center for social interaction. In 1942 the Japanese occupation era, the name Esplanade changed to Fukuraido which also means "field in the middle of the city".

With the defeat of Japan on August 15, 1945, the leaders in Medan City wanted to voice the news of the independence of the Republic of Indonesia in front of the entire Medan City community.

The reading of the proclamation on October 9, 1945 in the field also became the momentum to change the name of the Fukuraido field to Medan Merdeka Square.

For information, the Medan-North Sumatran Civil Society Coalition (KMS M-SU) Cares for Medan Merdeka Square filed a lawsuit to the Medan District Court (PN) for not stipulating the status of Merdeka Square as a cultural heritage.

The Medan City District Court had won the KMS M-SU lawsuit and ordered the Mayor of Medan as the defendant to make Merdeka Square a cultural heritage. However, the defendants filed an appeal.

Medan City Regional Secretary Wiriya Alrahman emphasized that the Mayor of Medan had actually agreed and taken steps to accelerate the revitalization of the independent field as a cultural heritage and Non-Green Open Space (RTNH). However, this effort is still hampered by several problems, including the issue of a contract with PT Orange Indonesia Mandiri which will only expire in 2025.

However, Wiriya ensured that the revitalization process for Merdeka Square was already underway and included in the new Medan City RPJMD 2021-2026.