REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- The National Monument located in Central Jakarta will have an underground area, which will function as a walkway for pedestrians in the area, Jakarta's Deputy Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama said here on Friday.

"Currently, we are reviewing the design of the underground area, construction will start in 2015. The facility will function as a pedestrian walk as well as a place for street vendors to display their products," the deputy governor popularly known as Ahok said.

However, he noted that the government will choose which vendors were eligible to stay in the pedestrian area.

"This is done to ensure the comfort of visitors," Ahok added.

The 137 meter tall National Monument is obelisk shaped, and is topped with a 14.5 meter bronze flame coated with 32 kilograms of gold leaf. Within the monument, is a museum depicting in diorama Indonesia's fight for Independence as well as the original text of the Proclamation of Independence. A lift takes visitors up to the look-out platform at the base of the flame for a grand view of Jakarta.

Surrounding the monument is a park with a musical fountain, enjoyed by the Jakarta public on Sundays for sports and recreation. Deer roams among the shady trees in the park.

The Merdeka street is the center of most important government buildings. During Dutch colonial days here was the center of government, known as Koningsplein or the King's Square. The north side is dominated by the National Palace once the home of the Dutch Governor Generals, which currently also houses the offices of the president and the cabinet.

To the south is the office of Indonesia's vice president, Jakarta's governor and provincial parliament building, as well as the American Embassy, while to the west is the National Museum, the Constitutional Court, the Ministry for Culture and Tourism and the Indosat building, Indonesia's first international telecommunication company.

Beyond Merdeka Street lies principal Dutch colonial buildings, constructed in a neoclassical style during the 19th century, which include buildings surrounding Lapangan Banteng or Banteng Square, the present day Department of Finance; the neo-gothic Catholic Cathedral and adjoining Sancta Ursula girls school; and further down the Foreign Office and the Imanuel protestant church, facing Jakarta's main Gambir train station.

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