Regarding the revitalization of the Merdeka Square in Malang City, the laying of the first stone of which was carried out some time ago, it is one of the programs of the Malang City Government to beautify or enhance one of the people's tourist destinations. Although revitalization is carried out, it will not eliminate its historical meaning.
In the Merdeka Square area there should be no parking areas and street vendors (PKL). So that later it will be cleaned and rearranged in another location. The budget for the revitalization of Merdeka Square is around Rp. 5,9 billion which comes from Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Bank Rakyat Indonesia (BRI), so it does not use the APBD (Regional Revenue and Expenditure Budget) of Malang City Government.
In this square, there will be a special play area for children, a place for breastfeeding mothers, an information center, and an ATM. Drive Thru, and others. The Malang City Regional People's Representative Council (DPRD) had questioned the development drive thru and wanted to know the agreement between the Malang City Government and BRI. The Council assessed that if there is a lease agreement, there must be approval from the DPRD.
In relation to the statement, the Mayor of Malang, H. Moch. Anton admitted that he was ready to provide an explanation to the DPRD. "The Malang City Government has two cooperation agreements with BRI. The first agreement is regarding CSR and the second is regarding the utilization of regional assets in the form of land leases. Development drive thru "That doesn't violate the rules," said the man who is familiarly called Abah Anton," Monday (29/12).
"In the first agreement, it was purely CSR and there was no compensation whatsoever to BRI. In the second agreement, it was stated that BRI rented land for the construction of ATMs, as well as in this case as an effort to increase income for the Malang City Government. The lease agreement is in effect for the next five years," explained the PKB politician.
Furthermore, Abah Anton said that he wanted Malang City to be more advanced and even be able to... go international from various aspects. "We must not be less advanced than other regions. Investors are very happy to enter Malang City because its bureaucracy is not complicated. Therefore, if there is something that is not quite right, let's sit together to discuss and find the best solution," he explained.
Separately, the Head of the Malang City Cleanliness and Parks Service (DKP), Drs. Wasto, SH, MH said that such a cooperation agreement has a legal basis, namely Government Regulation No. 27 of 2014 concerning Management of State/Regional Property and Regulation of the Minister of Home Affairs No. 17 of 2007 concerning Technical Guidelines for Management of Regional Property. "Regulation of the Minister of Public Works No. 5 of 2008 concerning Guidelines for the Provision of Green Open Space (RTH) in Urban Areas, also allows hardening in RTH," he explained. (say/yon)
