Independence Day observed in somber mood<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Unlike in previous years, when Indonesia's
\nindependence day was greeted with glee in the capital, this
\nyear's 53rd anniversary was no different from any other public
\nholiday.<\/p>\n
Many city residents fled the city in the run up to yesterday
\nand many more opted to spend the day at home with their families.<\/p>\n
Most of the capital's main thoroughfares were deserted and
\nthere were no special bazaars, exhibitions or the usual parade of
\nfloats.<\/p>\n
Shops and shopping centers received only a handful of visitors
\nwho shuffled around under the watchful eye of armed security
\npersonnel.<\/p>\n
Only a few neighborhoods marked the anniversary by staging the
\ngames traditionally played by Jakartans on the annual
\nIndependence Day celebration.<\/p>\n
Hotels and entertainment centers which usually stage special
\nevents also remained quiet.<\/p>\n
The somber mood which characterized this year's celebrations
\nin the capital and its surrounding areas was not only due to the
\neconomic turmoil engulfing the country, widespread rumors of
\nrenewed rioting in the city also served to put a dampener on the
\nday's festivities.<\/p>\n
City police chief Maj. Gen. Noegroho Djajoesman said yesterday
\nthat the capital was safe.<\/p>\n
"We hope nothing bad happened here. We are doing our best to
\nguard and protect Jakarta. I've joined patrols around the city
\nand I saw that many business centers had closed down.<\/p>\n
"They were probably afraid of more rioting... but we (the
\nsecurity forces) will try to prove them wrong. We hope everybody
\ngets on with their lives as usual," he said at the Atrium Hotel
\nin Central Jakarta.<\/p>\n
A merrier state of affairs could only be found in the few
\nresidential areas where local people staged games for children,
\nincluding sack races and kerupuk (crackers) eating contests.<\/p>\n
Games involving teenagers and adults, such as tugs-of-war and
\nareca palm climbing contests, were hardly seen this year.<\/p>\n
In Condet, East Jakarta, the area known as the home of the
\nBetawi people (Native Jakartans), independence day passed very
\nquietly.<\/p>\n
No games or Ondel-Ondel (Betawi puppet) shows were staged,
\nresidents instead choosing to watch television at home after
\nattending a special morning prayer at nearby mosques.<\/p>\n
"This year we thought it would be best to keep our money to
\nbuy food rather than waste it on a fancy celebration. Let's keep
\nit simple and solemn," H. Abdullah, a resident, said.<\/p>\n
Abdullah said he felt something was missing this year.<\/p>\n
"It's a bit sad because we used to have such cheerful
\ncelebrations. In past years we spread the celebrations out over
\nseven days by staging activities ranging from Lenong (a
\ntraditional Betawi play) to food festivals," he said.<\/p>\n
"This year I made a solemn promise to give away some of my
\nmoney to the poor. I could not think of a better way to share my
\nluck with the needy in this time of crisis.<\/p>\n
"So I decided to distribute packages of staple food," the 55-
\nyear-old gas station manager said.<\/p>\n
Hundreds of residents from Kartini subdistrict in Sawah Besar,
\nCentral Jakarta, could not hold any festivities at all because
\ntheir homes were damaged by a fire on Saturday.<\/p>\n
"We wanted to stage some games but we need to think about how
\nwe are going to eat first," Suwarta, a local resident, told The
\nJakarta Post.<\/p>\n
Some residents were busy cleaning up their houses, while
\nothers were collecting steel from their gutted homes for sale to
\nscavengers.<\/p>\n
Private radio station Sonora donated 500 kilograms of rice to
\nthe fire victims yesterday.<\/p>\n
Sawah Besar district head Asri Ilyas said he hoped more
\nJakartans would donate rice and clothes to the fire victims.<\/p>\n
Only a handful of residents managed to hold minor celebrations
\nyesterday. They could be seen holding a pillow fight on logs
\nsuspended over the Kali Malang river in East Jakarta. They also
\nheld an areca palm climbing contest.<\/p>\n
However the gifts stuck at the top of the palm stalk yesterday
\nwere fewer in number than in previous years and consisted mainly
\nof clothes and cheap plastic toys.<\/p>\n
The somber mood also hit the earnings of flag and areca palm
\nstalk traders, usually popular items ahead of independence day.<\/p>\n
Many traders complained that their sales had dropped
\ndrastically this year.<\/p>\n
"Two days before Aug. 17 last year I sold 40 stalks but this
\nyear I have only managed to sell two," Ahmad Yani, a Tangerang
\nstreet trader, told Antara.<\/p>\n
Areca palm stalks are greased before contestants climb up in
\nan attempt to snatch prizes stuck to the top.<\/p>\n
Both the stalks and prizes are purchased with money collected
\nby local communities.<\/p>\n
This year the price of a nine meter stalk was Rp 175,000,
\nwhile last year it was Rp 110,000.<\/p>\n
The street traders said they planned to sell leftover stalks
\nto construction material shops for Rp 40,000 each.
\n(bsr\/jun\/edt\/ind)<\/p>",
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