Jakarta's anniversary climax missing festive mood<\/p>\n
Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The all-night parties on the eve of Jakarta's 476th anniversary,
\nwhich fell on Sunday, apparently took a bite out of the festive
\nmood for many city residents, due to a lack of publicity.<\/p>\n
Hundreds of members of Forum Betawi Rembug (FBR), an
\norganization of native Jakartans, marked the celebrations by
\nstaging a noisy rally in the capital on Sunday.<\/p>\n
Clad in black attire, a color used by Betawi foremen in the
\npast, the FBR members gathered at the Hotel Indonesia traffic
\ncircle to hold a forum of free speeches, urging \"migrant
\nJakartans\" to play a role in maintaining security in the city.<\/p>\n
With a pair of ondel-ondel (life-size Betawi puppets) and a
\nset of bedug (a large drum), the group, known for its notorious
\nstance against migrant Jakartans, occupied the traffic circle,
\ndisrupting traffic.<\/p>\n
Earlier in the day, hundreds of residents gathered in the
\nNational Monument (Monas) park, where a bazaar was held in some
\nsections. However, not all of the visitors were aware that June
\n22 was the climax of celebrations marking the city's anniversary.<\/p>\n
\"I take my family here on Sunday mornings for a walk. We had
\nno plan to join in the festivities here,\" Tatang, who is an
\nemployee with a private company in Tomang, West Jakarta, told The
\nJakarta Post.<\/p>\n
Similarly, not many other residents enjoying the day in Monas
\nknew about the city's anniversary celebrations, citing a lack of
\npublicity.<\/p>\n
Also on the occasion of the city's anniversary, the City
\nCouncil convened a special plenary meeting on Sunday to hear
\nspeeches from Governor Sutiyoso and Minister of Home Affairs Hari
\nSabarno on the developments that Jakarta had achieved so far
\nsince last year.<\/p>\n
In his speech, Sutiyoso claimed the city had made momentous
\nprogress in initiating the \"Jakarta Green 2003\" campaign, which
\nincludes renovating Monas park and other city parks.<\/p>\n
It was proof that the city administration was aware of the
\nenvironment, he said.<\/p>\n
However, the governor did not mention his much-criticized plan
\nto reclaim land in the northern coastal area, which State
\nMinister for the Environment Nabiel Makarim and other critics
\nsaid would further damage the environment.<\/p>\n
Sutiyoso also failed to allay widespread public concern in his
\nspeech on the city's increasing crime rate, which has been blamed
\non the nation's prolonged economic crisis and a lack of police
\npersonnel.<\/p>\n
He came under fire for his administration's move to carry out
\nidentity checks on migrants, which analysts said particularly
\ntargeted Acehnese separatists fleeing the war in their province.<\/p>",
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