Hillary Rodham Clinton inspects Jakarta kampong<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): A magic wand was waved over Pasar Manggis
\ndistrict in Setiabudi area in southern Jakarta when Hillary
\nRodham Clinton came for a visit yesterday.<\/p>\n
Everything was spic and span. Even the open sewers, which are
\nusually full of garbage and mosquitoes, did not dare expel any
\nfoul odors as the first lady of the United States walked past.
\nApparently, some houses were repainted and the two meter wide
\ngang (alley) was scrubbed in order to welcome Mrs. Clinton.<\/p>\n
"We were ordered to clean everything by Pak RT (head of
\nneighborhood administration unit) a week ago. We painted our
\nhouse to welcome um...um...wife of...um, president of...," Marni
\nstopped her sentence when her daughter helped out with "America".<\/p>\n
She said residents of the kampong Pasar Manggis were told to
\nlock their gates and to stay inside their houses between 9 a.m.
\nand 11 a.m. because a very important person was visiting the
\narea. Mrs. Clinton arrived at 11 a.m.<\/p>\n
"We are happy that someone like her is willing to see our
\nkampong," said Marni, balancing on a chair behind her steel fence
\nin order to see Hillary Clinton clearly.<\/p>\n
"But I am disappointed because she didn't shake my hand, and
\nI missed Kassandra on T.V," Marni's teenager daughter who
\ndeclined to give her name told The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
Kassandra is a hit Venezuelan telenovela on SCTV every Monday,
\nWednesday and Friday at 11 a.m.<\/p>\n
Marni explained that some of her neighbors had extended their
\ntwo-day holiday to catch a glimpse of the American First Lady.<\/p>\n
Pasar Manggis residents stood behind their fences to watch the
\nentourage pass in front of their houses. Some of them were able
\nto shake hands with Hillary Clinton.<\/p>\n
'Bule'<\/p>\n
Students at a primary school located in the middle of the
\ncrowded housing area waved Indonesian and American flags while
\nsome of them chanted "yes, yes, yes", the only English word they
\nknow. Others cheerfully exclaimed in Indonesian "there is a bule
\n(westerner)."<\/p>\n
Mrs. Clinton, clad in blue two-piece dress, also stopped at
\nJl. Jatinegara Barat in East Jakarta. She inspected a distant
\nslum kampong along the bank of the river from a bridge on the
\nstreet. The river overflows and inundates the kampong when it
\nrains. The kampong is home of more than 300,000 people.<\/p>\n
Throngs of people mobbed the pavements. The street was cleaned
\nand then temporarily closed to the public to make way for Mrs.
\nClinton. This held-up hundreds of cars near Kampung Melayu
\nterminal at the far end of Jl. Jatinegara Barat. Shops along the
\nroad were closed. On normal days, the street is one of the
\nbusiest centers in East Jakarta.<\/p>\n
The two visits were planned to give Mrs. Clinton a firsthand
\nview of the Kampong Improvement Program which began in 1969 with
\nassistance from the United States Agency for International
\nDevelopment. Both Kampongs are in the project. Pasar Manggis has
\nbeen a success, while Bukit Duri is still undergoing the process.<\/p>\n
"This is also important for us to know that this kind of
\nsituation is also similar to other Asian countries," Mrs. Clinton
\ncommented briefly.<\/p>\n
The visit yesterday was marked with tight security involving
\nIndonesian and American security agents.(als)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/hillary-rodham-clinton-inspects-jakarta-kampong-1447893297",
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