'Bahasa' names for housing estates better

'Bahasa' names for housing estates better

JAKARTA (JP): The Ciputra Group has decided to change the
names of its housing estates Citra Garden in West Jakarta to
Citra Taman, and Citra Grand City in Tangerang to Citra Raya,
while the new name for the CitraLand Mall and Hotel in West
Jakarta will be Hotel dan Mal CitraLand.

Housing tycoon Ciputra told The Jakarta Post in an interview
yesterday that the decision to change the names was taken in
response to the government's intensive campaign on the use of
Bahasa Indonesia for the names of housing estates.

Minister of Education and Culture Wardiman Djojonegoro,
Minister of Public Housing Akbar Tanjung and Minister of Agrarian
Affairs Soni Harsono, as well as the governors of Indonesia's 27
provinces called recently for members of the Indonesian Real
Estate Association (REI) to change the Western names of their
housing estates, he said.

According to Ciputra, the Minister of Education and Culture,
an expert team led by noted linguist Anton Mulyono and the
association then made an agreement on the subject.

Association members are also advised to change the Western
names of commercial buildings, but the priority of the campaign
is on housing estates.

"However, we have not changed the name of CitraLand because it
is our trademark," Ciputra said.

He added that the government did not mind Western names for
hotels.

Many developers give their housing estates Western names, such
as Legend City, Bintaro Regency, Green Garden, Lippo Village and
Kemang River View. More English names are found in condominiums,
apartment blocks and other commercial estates like the Beverly
Towers condominium, Park Royal and Green View apartments and the
Atrium shopping center. (sim)