Bamus Betawi Prepares Strategic Programmes Ahead of Jakarta's 500th Anniversary
The consultative meeting (Raker) is expected to serve as a platform for the Betawi community to build an inclusive and modern Jakarta as it approaches its five-hundredth anniversary.
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Bamus Betawi Consultative Body is preparing strategic policies and work programmes in anticipation of Jakarta’s development as it nears its five-century milestone.
“This consultative meeting is an important momentum for Bamus Betawi to formulate the organisation’s policy direction and work programmes in facing various challenges and opportunities in Jakarta’s development towards its five-hundredth year,” said the General Chairman of Bamus Betawi, H. Riano P. Ahmad, in Jakarta on Tuesday.
Riano stated that during the two-day meeting, each division within Bamus Betawi will hold working sessions to discuss and formulate the organisation’s strategic programmes throughout 2026.
This meeting also holds significance as it takes place amidst the dynamic status of Jakarta following the Constitutional Court (MK) decision, which ruled that Jakarta will remain the National Capital until the President issues a Presidential Decree (Keppres) regarding the relocation of the capital to Nusantara (IKN).
Furthermore, Riano mentioned Bamus Betawi’s commitment to continue synergising with the Jakarta Provincial Government, while supporting the various policies implemented by the Governor of Jakarta, Pramono Anung, and the Vice Governor, Rano Karno.
According to him, organisational consolidation is a vital step to strengthen the ties and solidarity of the large Bamus Betawi family within Betawi land.
“This meeting is expected to be a forum for the Betawi community to build an inclusive and modern Jakarta towards a global city, while remaining deeply rooted in local Betawi cultural values,” said Riano.
Riano expressed hope that the forum would produce various strategic programmes that provide tangible benefits to the Betawi people and contribute to Jakarta’s future development.
As an umbrella organisation uniting various elements and Betawi community organisations (ormas), Bamus reaffirmed its commitment to serving as a vessel for community aspirations and a strategic partner to the Jakarta Provincial Government.
The organisation’s primary focus is to preserve and maintain Betawi customs and culture, while fighting for the rights of the Betawi people as the indigenous inhabitants of Jakarta amidst the capital’s transformation into a global city.
The activities, themed “Welcoming Five Centuries of Jakarta: A City of Culture and a Global City,” were officially opened by the Assistant for People’s Welfare (Askesra) of the Jakarta Provincial Government, Ali Maulana Hakim.
Several Betawi figures and Jakarta Provincial Government officials attended the event, including the Chairman of the Customary Council of the Majelis Kaum Betawi (MKB) Fauzi Bowo, the Chairman of PMI DKI Jakarta Beky Mardani, the General Chairman of DPP Forkabi Abdul Ghoni, and the Secretary General of DPP Forkabi Syarif Hidayatullah.
Additionally, Bamus Betawi featured the Head of the People’s Welfare Division of the Jakarta Provincial Regional Development Planning Agency (Bappeda), Eky Darmayanti, as the keynote speaker in the forum.