TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) wants Bogor Botanical Garden to be rearranged by improving its facilities so that it becomes more attractive.
The President`s wish was conveyed by the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) Acting Chief Prof. Bambang Subiyanto after accompanying the President to sign the inscription on the Two Century of Bogor Botanical Garden and Palm Monument on Sunday.
"The official message of the president is that the the infrastructure of Bogor Botanical Garden should be improved, and the landscape should be re-arranged to make it more attractive," Subiyanto remarked after accompanying the president.
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The President was specifically present to sign the inscription of the Two Century of Bogor Botanical Garden in front of Tugu Dua Abad, the bird singing competition located in the garden.
Before signing the inscription, the President was seen talking with Subiyanto and the LIPI Life Science Deputy Prof. Enny Sudarmonowati in the company of Environment and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya and Teten Masduki.
After the talks, the president signed the two inscriptions, and then invited all LIPI staff members to share together in front of Tugu Dua Abad, without giving information to the media crew.
According to Subiyanto in talks with the president, LIPI was asked to make the Botanical Garden of Singapore as a comparison in developing Bogor Botanical Garden more attractive again.
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"The president wants the Bogor Botanical Garden to be as attractive as possible," he said.
In addition, the president also requested that the concrete fences in the Bogor Botanical Garden covered with plants so that it does not look concrete and iron fence.
Regarding the signing of the inscription, he said there are two things that underlie the necessity of the signing of the establishment of Bogor Botanical Garden in 1817 that became the forerunner to the establishment of scientific institutions in Indonesia.
According to him, this is a very important history for the Indonesian nation. Bogor Botanical Garden became evidence of the start of the awareness of the Indonesian Nation to the importance of the application of science in the utilization of plant resources, especially for the economic interests of the country.
"History proves that the presence of botanical garden has been able to improve the country`s economy through the development of the potential of various types of plants, including oil palm," he said.
ANTARA
