TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Jakarta chapter of the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) has slammed the central government for approving the Monas revitalization project, in Central Jakarta. Walhi Jakarta executive director Tubagus Soleh Ahmadi said the central government—similar to the Jakarta government— was bereft of environmental ethics,

"Similarly, the central government has played down environmental matters by assuming that living things [including trees] have no value per se, regardless of whether they are valuable or not for human life [outlook]," Tubagus said when contacted, on Monday, February 10, 2020.

Tubagus was referring to the environmental ethics of how humans treated their environments, and vice versa. He said the central government should scrap the revitalization of Monas, as opposed to agreeing to the program, as there were still other pressing needs.

Aside from the flooding that continues to pester Jakarta, one of the pressing needs is for a green space. Until now, he said, Jakarta lacked an open green space, as the current amount was below the 30 percent target.

Tubagus continued that air pollution in the capital had been classified as high, proving that Jakarta needed more green spaces and trees.

“Although there are more reasons to plant trees elsewhere, it is still the government’s obligation, not reduce existing ones, let alone concreting them, thus reducing water catchment," he explained.

Previously, the Monas revitalization project was suspended on January 28, 2020. The reason was that the central government, in this case the Medan Merdeka Regional Development Steering Commission, had not approved the project yet. The Jakarta government was required to submit design details that would then be discussed by steering committee members.

Later on, the Ministry of State Secretariat issued recommendations for the project. The recommendation letter was received by the Jakarta government on Friday, 7 February 2020. The project continued that night.

Tempo observed on Monday morning, February 10, 2020, that the workers in the project had started the Monas revitalization development activities. A number of vehicles and heavy equipment were also spotted to be in operation.

LANI DIANA WIJAYA | TAUFIQ SIDDIQ | Translator: Dio Suhenda (Intern Translator)