Soekarno Statue Criticized for Not Resembling Him Due to Bulky Body, Threatened to be Demolished Despite Costing Rp500 Million

Soekarno Statue Receives Harsh Criticism for Not Resembling Him due to a Stout Body, Threatened to be Demolished Despite Costing Rp500 Million

Dream - A statue of the first president of RI, Ir. Soekarno or Bung Karno in Musi Banyuasin, South Sumatra (Sumsel), has caught attention. The statue appears different from the usual Soekarno statue or his original figure. The statue is located in the area of Bung Karno Sport Center (BKSC) in front of Class IIA Penitentiary Institution Pangkalan Balai, Banyuasin. The complex will be a sports center with several venues to be built, such as football, volleyball, basketball, futsal, and shooting. The picture of the statue went viral on social media, one of which was uploaded by the Twitter account @bung_madin on Thursday, September 21, 2023.

Soekarno Statue Criticized for Not Resembling Him Due to Bulky Body, Threatened to be Demolished Despite Costing Rp500 Million

"Although not yet fully completed, netizens highlight the body shape of the statue which appears fuller compared to its original figure."

It is stated that the making of the statue cost billions of rupiah, which is around Rp16 trillion.

"Budget for Statue Construction"

Although, based on the data from the LPSE of Banyuasin Regency, the tender named "Construction of Bung Karno Brand and Statue and Accessories" is worth Rp500 million. The hundreds of millions of rupiah funding comes from the APBD. There were 12 tender participants, which were won by ATTAKI with an HPS value of Rp498,700,000.00. The upload of Bung Karno statue in Banyuasin received various comments from netizens.

The Head of the Department of Public Works and Spatial Planning (PUTR) Banyuasin, Ardi Arpian, said that the statue was built to enhance the aesthetics of the BKSC sports complex. The figure of Bung Karno is expected to be a motivation for the younger generation in developing the region in the future.

"According to the name of the complex, we built a statue of Bung Karno to enhance the aesthetics."

"expressed the Head of the PUTR Banyuasin Office, Ardi Arpian, Thursday, September 21, 2023, quoted from Merdeka.com."

"Apparently, the statue actually garnered public criticism because its shape does not resemble the original. Nevertheless, according to Ardi, the construction of the statue is not yet fully completed."

Ardi explained that they have coordinated with the contractor to fix the physical appearance of the statue in order to avoid any controversy. If it turns out that it really doesn't resemble, he assures that it will be dismantled. Ardi mentioned the firmness of the Banyuasin Regency Government as a form of commitment and seriousness in honoring the figure of Bung Karno in Indonesian history. He does not want this issue to be prolonged and continuously become a subject of public bullying. "If it doesn't match, we have already requested assistance from a third party," said Ardi.

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