Anies Asks Formula E Federation To Jakarta To Find New Routes

DKI Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan (Diah Ayu Wardani / VOI)

JAKARTA - The Governor of DKI Jakarta Anies Baswedan immediately looked for an alternative route for the implementation of Formula E. This is because the Minister of State Secretary as the Steering Committee for the Medan Merdeka Area did not approve of the route of the racing event passing the National Monument (Monas) area.

Anies has not thought of an alternative route. Because, determining the route is not limited to seeing the location with the naked eye.

"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 at City Hall, Jalan Medan Merdeka Selatan, Central Jakarta, Thursday, February 6.

Anies said, after his proposed route was rejected by the State Secretary, he immediately contacted the Formula E federation and international motorbike racers organizations to provide the news. Moreover, the deadline for the implementation is only four months away, the Formula E International Automotive Federation (FIA) team will immediately fly to Jakarta for further coordination.

"This afternoon, the team is already on the way to Jakarta to determine a new location. We cannot determine the route without an expert," said Anies.

"At half past 6 in the afternoon they land, then they will immediately see several places together with a team from the Highways Agency, PT JakPro, and the executive committee," he added.

Yesterday, the Ministry of State Secretariat (Kemensetneg) did not approve that the National Monument (Monas) was used as the location for the Formula E racing event.

The main reason for the State Secretary as the Head of the Steering Committee to prohibit DKI Jakarta Governor 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.

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

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 implementation.