'Bang' Ali feels honored, betrayed<\/p>\n
Yusuf Susilo Hartono, Contributor, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The Old Testament Proverb which states, \"One shall reap that
\nwhich one sows\" is particularly apt for Ali Sadikin, 75, who this
\nmonth received a series of awards for what he did while serving
\nas the governor of Jakarta (1966 - 1977).<\/p>\n
On Aug. 22, five days after the celebration of the 57th
\nanniversary of Indonesia's independence, he received the Sarwana
\nAward from the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) for his
\nefforts to promote marine research.<\/p>\n
Then on Aug. 24, he was awarded the 2002 Cipta Utama Prize
\nfrom the Jakarta Arts Council (DKJ) in a ceremony at Graha Bhakti
\nBudaya, Ismail Marzuki Cultural Park. Ali Sadikin is the first
\nperson to have received this prize.<\/p>\n
These awards are only two of a great many citations he has
\nbeen bestowed with: the Guerrilla Medal of Merit (for his bravery
\nin fighting for independence), Swa Bhuwana Paksi Medal of Merit,
\nthe Ramon Magsaysay Award, an Honorary Citizen of Minneapolis in
\nthe U.S.A., the Excellent Resident of Yogyakarta (for his efforts
\nto popularize batik as official dress in Indonesia, therefore
\nalso promoting Yogyakarta batik) and the citations from All-
\nIndonesian Association of Hospitals, the Central Board of the
\nIndonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Jakarta
\nInstitute of Arts.<\/p>\n
In the case of the Cipta Utama Prize, actually Bang (Elder
\nBrother) Ali - which is how he is intimately addressed - should
\nhave received it much earlier. Coincidentally, the prize was
\nawarded to Bang Ali at a time when the Jakarta Arts Council (DKJ)
\nis now at its nadir.<\/p>\n
Therefore, this occasion should be able to refresh the
\ncollective memory of the artists so that they can return to the
\nearly ideals of the establishment of DKJ. Once a beacon in
\nIndonesia's arts activities, DKJ must seize this momentum to
\nrevitalize itself with a fresh spirit.<\/p>\n
Ali Sadikin, who is considered the Father of Jakarta's
\nArtists, officially established DKJ on June 7, 1968. Then on Nov.
\n10 of the same year, he inaugurated the Ismail Marzuki Park
\n(TIM).<\/p>\n
Two years later, on Aug. 24, 1970, he officiated the
\nestablishment of the Jakarta Academy and a short while later he
\ninaugurated the Jakarta Arts Educational Institute (LPKJ), later
\nchanged into the Jakarta Arts Institute (IKJ). All these
\nestablishments are located at Jl. Cikini Raya 73, Central
\nJakarta, an area formerly used as a zoo. The zoo has been moved
\nRagunan, South Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Historically traced, this area used to belong to noted painter
\nRaden Saleh. It has been called Ismail Marzuki Park in memory of
\nIsmail Marzuki, an indigenous Jakartan, or Betawi, and one of
\nIndonesia's best composers.<\/p>\n
For Ali Sadikin, the position of a governor was similar to the
\npost of a president director in a company. The regional
\nlegislature would be the board of commissioners and the people,
\nthe taxpayers, like shareholders whose material and spiritual
\nhappiness he and the legislature worked hard to attain.<\/p>\n
That's why, during his tenure, as Jakarta governor, he
\nestablished a network of roads in Jakarta complete with bridges
\nand other facilities never built before he was in power.<\/p>\n
Then as Jakarta governor, he instructed the building of
\ncommunity health centers, student centers, youth centers, a
\nchamber of commerce, facilities for religious services and art
\nfacilities like PKJ TIM, the last being intended to improve the
\nsense of beauty for Jakartans.<\/p>\n
When Bang Ali was the governor of Jakarta, he strove to make
\nthis capital city an economic and cultural city, at a time when
\nSurabaya, the provincial capital in East Java, was being
\ndeveloped into an industrial city.<\/p>\n
It is an open secret that Ali Sadikin built much of Jakarta
\nwith funds collected from gambling taxes. He legalized gambling
\nfor certain designated areas, which he believed was the legacy of
\nthe Dutch colonial rule. In this respect, he also shared the
\nChinese belief that gambling was like throwing away your bad
\nluck.<\/p>\n
The Jakarta legislature could do nothing when Bang Ali
\nlegalized gambling in this capital city. Then president Soeharto
\ndid not say anything, and for Bang Ali silence meant approval.<\/p>\n
\"It was impossible to improve the lot of 3.6 million people in
\nJakarta with a budget of Rp 64 million a year at that time. When
\nulemas criticized me, I said, 'God is Omniscient. Let me bear the
\nconsequences.' Don't be surprised that ulemas could never walk on
\nthe roads because these roads were built with funds from gambling
\ntaxes. They must have their own chopper to be able to go about
\nthe city,\" Bang Ali said, when interviewed at his residence on
\nJl. Borobudur, Central Jakarta.<\/p>\n
In addition to getting taxes from gambling for the public's
\nbenefit, Bang Ali also did the same with prostitution. He set up
\na special red-light area in Kramat Tunggak to regulate the
\npractice and prevent prostitutes from doing business on the
\nroads.<\/p>\n
Bang Ali held up Thailand as the model. He realized that no
\nparent would agree to his or her daughter selling her body and
\nthat when a woman had to earn a living as a prostitute, this must
\nbe a great sacrifice for the survival of her family.<\/p>\n
Bang Ali was born in Sumedang, West Java, on July 7, 1927. A
\nmarine, he speaks loudly, firmly and to the point. He began his
\ncareer in the Navy as a troop commander, then a chief of staff,
\ncommander of the Marine Educational Center and deputy chief of
\nstaff of the Navy. He studied at the advanced course for officers
\nof the Marine Corps School in the United States. Ali played an
\nimportant role in the integration of West Irian (now called Papua
\nor Irian Jaya) into Indonesia. Therefore, when Papuans now
\ndeclare their desire for independence from the Republic
\nIndonesia, he loudly shouts out his disagreement.<\/p>\n
In 1963, when he was barely 37 years old, he was appointed
\nMinister of Sea Communications by President Sukarno, one of the
\ntwo persons proclaiming Indonesia's independence. Between 1963
\nand 1966 he served as coordinating minister for maritime affairs.
\nThen President Sukarno \"demoted\" him in order to appoint him as
\ngovernor of Jakarta.<\/p>\n
As governor, he won the hearts of the majority of Jakartan
\npeople although, for the sake of developing Jakarta, he had to
\ndestroy some houses and buildings. A father of seven children, he
\nwas married to Empok Nani and now is married to Empok Linda. Ali
\nSadikin is noted for his honesty, consistency and discipline, a
\nreason he can win the respect of both friends and foes.<\/p>\n
When asked to reflect on his memories as governor of Jakarta,
\nBang Ali, who recently had a kidney transplant and is yet to
\nrecuperate from retina surgery, said he was hurt, disappointed
\nand betrayed by his successors.<\/p>\n
His policy to make Jakarta virtually a closed city was lifted
\nby Tjokropranolo. As a result, migrants now freely come to
\nJakarta, by the millions, causing a chaotic situation in the
\ncity. Then Wiyogo Atmodarminto swapped the students' center with
\ntycoon Bakrie for property elsewhere.<\/p>\n
\"Why did the students keep quiet? They should have held a
\nprotest rally against Wiyogo, not Sutiyoso.\" he said. He was also
\ndisappointed with Wiyogo because Wiyogo, in his capacity as
\nchairman of the Jakarta Arts Foundation (YKJ), put TIM and
\nLPKJ\/IKJ, previously managed by DKJ, under YKJ.<\/p>\n
One of the signatories of Petition 50 critical of then
\npresident Soeharto, Bang Ali is now aware that what Tjokropranolo
\ndid, was an effort, under orders by Soeharto, to remove all the
\ngood things done by Bang Ali in Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Despite this betrayal, he still has some hope that the present
\ngovernor of Jakarta, Sutiyoso, will continue taking care of and
\ncontinuing his legacy. He was very happy to learn that Sutiyoso
\ndeclared Jakarta a closed city to becak (pedicabs). Likewise, he
\nis happy to see that Bang Yos, Sutiyoso's moniker, is determined
\nto rebuild TIM, which had some of its buildings destroyed when
\nSuryadi Sudirdja was governor.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/bang-ali-feels-honored-betrayed-1447893297",
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