Ambon To Have Its First Skyscraper

Jakarta, (ANTARA News) - In his visit to Jakarta not long ago, US President Barack Obama must have once looked out through the window of his high-rise Sangri-La Hotel room and, remembering his days as a child in Indonesia in 1967-1970, realized that back then the tallest building in the country was only a few stories high.

As a matter of fact, he described how Jakarta looked during those long past days, in his speech before more than 5,000 people at the University of Indonesia campus in Depok, West Java, on November 10, 2010. Obama said that as far as he could recall, the Hotel Indonesia was then the tallest building in town beside the Sarinah department store.

But now, old and new emerging tall buildings in Jakarta since the beginning of 1980s suggest that for the masters of the builders of the future, only the sky is the limit.

Skyscrapers, shouldering into the clouds over the capital Jakarta, are the modern Indonesia`s cathedrals of appreciations that, the greater the dreams of commercial glory, the higher the towers race upward to heaven.

Other smaller cities in the country are also racing to start their own giants.
In the Maluku scenic provincial city of Ambon, the 40-story "Victoria Park Hotel" is expected to be completed in the next two years.

When completed in 2012, the Victoria Park Hotel will be the first ever skyscraper which in the past was only a dream of the people in Ambon in particular and in Maluku in general.

Rahman Soumena, the head of Maluku`s Capital Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM), said in Ambon on Friday that a team from joint venture company Space Consortium (Spacecon) would come to Ambon soon to study the build-operate-transfer (BOT) system for the construction of a condominium and hotel (Condotel), called Victoria Park Hotel in the Maluku`s provincial capital.

"A team from Spacecon is scheduled to arrive here on November 22, 2010 to study a draft agreement on implementation of the Condotel project according to the BOT system being drawn up by the Maluku provincial administration in coordination with the Provincial Legislative Assembly (DPRD)," Soumena said.

He was certain that the DPRD would approve draft agreement whereby the foreign investor would build the facility, operate it for a certain period of time , and eventually turn it over to the government.

"We hope the DPRD`s Commission-I can give its approval before the Spacecon team arrives in Ambon so that the presence of investors to encourage Maluku tourism sector can have a positive impact on the other areas of development," he said.

Spacecon, according to him, was interested in developing Victoria Park which is located on a beach near Ambon city.

"When visiting Ambon last September 27-29, 2010, a Spacecon team named the planned Condotel `The Victorian Park Hotel`.

Its construction would be coordinated with the Ambon city government in an effort to support the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry`s `Ambon Water Front City` program," Soumena said.

Soumena said a final decision on the construction of the 40-story and 2,000-rooms Condotel would depend on the result of the Spacecom team`s study and coordination with the Ambon city administration.

Meanwhile, Ambon Mayor Jopi Papilaya said he had yet to receive a copy of Spacecon`s proposal to build the Condotel.

"When we receive the proposal, a meticulous study from various aspects should be made in accordance with Ambon city spatial plan," Papilaya said.

Spacecon President Director Rafael Chin at a meeting with Governor Karel Albert Ralahalu here on September 28, 2010 said the construction of Kondotel was scheduled to start on December this year as part of an effort to develop tourism sector in the province.

The star hotel which is expected to be completed in 2012 will be equipped with shopping and restaurant facility to pamper its visitors and guests.

Rafael Chin said that besides constructing The Vicotoria Park Hotel, Spacecon would also cooperate with airport management company PT Angkasa Pura to open international flights to and from Ambon`s Pattimura International Airport.

"We will cooperate with PT Angkasapura to have Pattimura Airport`s runway extended in order to serve international flights in Asia," Rafael said.

He was of the opinion that geographically, Makulu is very strategic because of its location bordering Timor Leste and Australian continent.

"Therefore we want to make Maluku one of the gateways for foreign tourists from Japan, China, the Philippines, South Korea, and other Asian countries because of its strategic location," Rafael said.

Besides, Spacecon will also support Maluku provincial administration program of establishing a fishery school close to the Victoria Park Hotel area.

"We will invest as well in natural resources management in the mining, agriculture, and plantation fields," Rafael said.

No wonder Governor Karel Albert Ralahalu positively welcomed and supported the investment effort as it would be a big opportunity for Maluku to step forward in development area.

"The investment of that joint venture company will be a big opportunity for the province in development field, especially in tourism sector," Governor Ralahalu said.

Thanks to the international marine event of Sail Banda 2010 which has convinced the international community that Maluku has been absolutely safe after being wrecked by three-year sectarian violence from 1999-2002, investors are now starting to set their eyes to the province.

Lipp Group, one of Indonesian`s conglomerate is no exception. Exploring investment possibilities in various fields in the province, the group`s vice president James Riyadi met with Governor Ralahalu on Wednesday to obtain accurate information about it.

James Riyadi intended to invest in a number of strategic areas, including retail trade, hotels, eduction and health, local BKPM chief Rahman Soumena said.

The Indonesian conglomerate was also interested in establishing commercial centers such as department stores, hyper malls, a five-star hotel for both domestic and foreign tourists.

James also asked about investment opportunities in the health sector because he would like to build an international standard health center with modern and sophisticated facilities that would also serve people from North Maluku, Papua, and West Papua.

Besides, the Indonesian conglomerate also had an interest in developing the region`s human resources development by establishing an international standard school in the province.

James Riyadi`s intention to invest in Maluku will be like a "stream of fresh air" for the province and hopefully encourage other investors to operate in Maluku. (*)

By: Otniel Tamindael-Antara