A sign of indifference?<\/p>\n
Probably nobody has ever calculated how many people it takes
\nto encircle Merdeka Square in front of the presidential palace --
\nbetter known as Monas Square in the common vernacular -- with a
\nhuman chain. For certain, thousands would be needed for that
\nobjective, more than an average-sized demonstration could muster.
\nThat was probably the reason why on Sept. 22 the Urban Poor
\nConsortium, a non-governmental organization (NGO) whose aim is to
\nelevate the living conditions of Jakarta's poor, failed to do
\nprecisely that. The UPC managed to gather just enough people to
\nline one side of the one-square-kilometer park. The UPC, after
\nall, is not the kind of NGO that would pay people to go out onto
\nthe streets to demonstrate -- nor, probably, would it have the
\nmoney to do so.<\/p>\n
Of course, weekends are normally the time when hordes of
\nJakartans make their habitual trek out of the city in search of
\nfresh air in the holiday resort areas to the west and south of
\nthe city, where they disgorge their carbon gases and other
\npollutants for the weekend. So that might explain the low level
\nof public interest.<\/p>\n
Sunday, however, is also a day when Monas Square is filled
\nwith people enjoying their day off, engaging in a variety of
\nsports or simply taking a stroll or picnicking in the park with
\ntheir families. This, after all, is what public parks are for.
\nBut why didn't more people join Sunday's human fence movement at
\nMonas Square?<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, however, this leaves us with a rather dismal
\nimpression of public indifference to what is happening to and
\naround people in this city of more than 10 million. The plan to
\nencircle Monas Square with a chain of people was meant as a
\nsignal of protest against the Jakarta city administration's
\nongoing work of building a two-meter high iron fence around the
\nsquare. Not only Monas Square, other public parks have been used
\nfor purposes other than as public open space and other open areas
\nhave also been fenced in during the past months.<\/p>\n
The fencing in of Monas Square not only further tarnishes
\nJakarta's cityscape, it effectively deprives Jakarta's citizenry
\nof access to one of the city's largest and most popular public
\nspaces so far. And this in a city where free and open public
\nspaces are rapidly disappearing to make way for offices, shopping
\nmalls and other commercial buildings.<\/p>\n
The rather disturbing question that this raises is, do
\nJakartans care? Sunday's Monas Square debacle comes close on the
\nheels of the reelection by the City Council of Governor Sutiyoso
\n-- a process that reeks of bribery and irregularity. Sure, there
\nwere protest rallies during the election, but after Sutiyoso's
\nreelection became a fait accompli, Jakartans appear to have
\nresigned themselves to the reality that their voices are not
\nbeing heard by those very legislators who presumably are
\nrepresenting them. Other examples can easily be cited of such
\napparent indifference among Jakarta's citizenry. Yet,
\nillustrations of open support for those that are willing to stand
\nup for the public's rights can just as easily be found. Who, for
\nexample, doesn't remember the masses rallying behind students
\nduring the chaotic days when president Soeharto fell?<\/p>\n
Of course, not all protest demonstrations we may come across
\nin Jakarta's streets these days deserve the public's support,
\nespecially now that certain groups or organizations are said to
\nbe willing to resort to paying \"protesters\" to swell their ranks.
\nAll the same, genuine protests for the good of the public
\ncertainly still do occur. Among these, as far as we can see, are
\nthose that seek to come up with reasonable solutions to raise the
\nliving standards of the masses of Indonesians who are still
\nliving near or below the poverty line in hostile urban
\nsurroundings. These are the protests that deserve our support
\nbecause disregarding such injustice and poverty would be
\ntantamount to leaving a time-bomb to explode in our children's
\nand grandchildren's faces.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/a-sign-of-indifference-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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