Beyond all the religious controversies surrounding former Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama, which eventually led to his imprisonment, many will remember him as a very capable leader who often went beyond the call of duty to serve the people of Jakarta.
And soon, the musical fountain in Monas (the National Monument) will be testament of that, as Ahok is half the reason why its waters will dance again after remaining non-functional since 2007.
Jakarta Governor Djarot Saiful Hidayat – formerly Ahok’s deputy before the latter’s imprisonment for blasphemy – said that the government finally fixed the musical fountain, but that the cost of the repair was not allocated from the city’s budget. Instead, the repair was made possible after the government received private donations, about half of which came from Ahok.
“Pak Ahok (donated) around Rp 200 million ($15,000). The total (repair cost) was approximately Rp 400 million,” Djarot said yesterday, as quoted by Kompas.
Djarot said the other donors included himself, the head of the Monas management office, Sabdo Kristanto, and renowned orchestra conductor Addie MS.
The musical fountain will be re-inaugurated on August 12. The fountain’s waters will dance to the tune of traditional Indonesian songs, as arranged by Addie MS.
Sadly, Ahok won’t be there to see the result of his donation during the inauguration event. Let’s hope that the administration of governor-elect Anies Baswedan will keep the musical fountain properly maintained so that Ahok will be able to see it when he gets out of jail in some two years’ time.
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