'Bang' Ali feels honored, betrayed

Yusuf Susilo Hartono, Contributor, Jakarta

The Old Testament Proverb which states, "One shall reap that which one sows" is particularly apt for Ali Sadikin, 75, who this month received a series of awards for what he did while serving as the governor of Jakarta (1966 - 1977).

On Aug. 22, five days after the celebration of the 57th anniversary of Indonesia's independence, he received the Sarwana Award from the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) for his efforts to promote marine research.

Then on Aug. 24, he was awarded the 2002 Cipta Utama Prize from the Jakarta Arts Council (DKJ) in a ceremony at Graha Bhakti Budaya, Ismail Marzuki Cultural Park. Ali Sadikin is the first person to have received this prize.

These awards are only two of a great many citations he has been bestowed with: the Guerrilla Medal of Merit (for his bravery in fighting for independence), Swa Bhuwana Paksi Medal of Merit, the Ramon Magsaysay Award, an Honorary Citizen of Minneapolis in the U.S.A., the Excellent Resident of Yogyakarta (for his efforts to popularize batik as official dress in Indonesia, therefore also promoting Yogyakarta batik) and the citations from All- Indonesian Association of Hospitals, the Central Board of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Jakarta Institute of Arts.

In the case of the Cipta Utama Prize, actually Bang (Elder Brother) Ali - which is how he is intimately addressed - should have received it much earlier. Coincidentally, the prize was awarded to Bang Ali at a time when the Jakarta Arts Council (DKJ) is now at its nadir.

Therefore, this occasion should be able to refresh the collective memory of the artists so that they can return to the early ideals of the establishment of DKJ. Once a beacon in Indonesia's arts activities, DKJ must seize this momentum to revitalize itself with a fresh spirit.

Ali Sadikin, who is considered the Father of Jakarta's Artists, officially established DKJ on June 7, 1968. Then on Nov. 10 of the same year, he inaugurated the Ismail Marzuki Park (TIM).

Two years later, on Aug. 24, 1970, he officiated the establishment of the Jakarta Academy and a short while later he inaugurated the Jakarta Arts Educational Institute (LPKJ), later changed into the Jakarta Arts Institute (IKJ). All these establishments are located at Jl. Cikini Raya 73, Central Jakarta, an area formerly used as a zoo. The zoo has been moved Ragunan, South Jakarta.

Historically traced, this area used to belong to noted painter Raden Saleh. It has been called Ismail Marzuki Park in memory of Ismail Marzuki, an indigenous Jakartan, or Betawi, and one of Indonesia's best composers.

For Ali Sadikin, the position of a governor was similar to the post of a president director in a company. The regional legislature would be the board of commissioners and the people, the taxpayers, like shareholders whose material and spiritual happiness he and the legislature worked hard to attain.

That's why, during his tenure, as Jakarta governor, he established a network of roads in Jakarta complete with bridges and other facilities never built before he was in power.

Then as Jakarta governor, he instructed the building of community health centers, student centers, youth centers, a chamber of commerce, facilities for religious services and art facilities like PKJ TIM, the last being intended to improve the sense of beauty for Jakartans.

When Bang Ali was the governor of Jakarta, he strove to make this capital city an economic and cultural city, at a time when Surabaya, the provincial capital in East Java, was being developed into an industrial city.

It is an open secret that Ali Sadikin built much of Jakarta with funds collected from gambling taxes. He legalized gambling for certain designated areas, which he believed was the legacy of the Dutch colonial rule. In this respect, he also shared the Chinese belief that gambling was like throwing away your bad luck.

The Jakarta legislature could do nothing when Bang Ali legalized gambling in this capital city. Then president Soeharto did not say anything, and for Bang Ali silence meant approval.

"It was impossible to improve the lot of 3.6 million people in Jakarta with a budget of Rp 64 million a year at that time. When ulemas criticized me, I said, 'God is Omniscient. Let me bear the consequences.' Don't be surprised that ulemas could never walk on the roads because these roads were built with funds from gambling taxes. They must have their own chopper to be able to go about the city," Bang Ali said, when interviewed at his residence on Jl. Borobudur, Central Jakarta.

In addition to getting taxes from gambling for the public's benefit, Bang Ali also did the same with prostitution. He set up a special red-light area in Kramat Tunggak to regulate the practice and prevent prostitutes from doing business on the roads.

Bang Ali held up Thailand as the model. He realized that no parent would agree to his or her daughter selling her body and that when a woman had to earn a living as a prostitute, this must be a great sacrifice for the survival of her family.

Bang Ali was born in Sumedang, West Java, on July 7, 1927. A marine, he speaks loudly, firmly and to the point. He began his career in the Navy as a troop commander, then a chief of staff, commander of the Marine Educational Center and deputy chief of staff of the Navy. He studied at the advanced course for officers of the Marine Corps School in the United States. Ali played an important role in the integration of West Irian (now called Papua or Irian Jaya) into Indonesia. Therefore, when Papuans now declare their desire for independence from the Republic Indonesia, he loudly shouts out his disagreement.

In 1963, when he was barely 37 years old, he was appointed Minister of Sea Communications by President Sukarno, one of the two persons proclaiming Indonesia's independence. Between 1963 and 1966 he served as coordinating minister for maritime affairs. Then President Sukarno "demoted" him in order to appoint him as governor of Jakarta.

As governor, he won the hearts of the majority of Jakartan people although, for the sake of developing Jakarta, he had to destroy some houses and buildings. A father of seven children, he was married to Empok Nani and now is married to Empok Linda. Ali Sadikin is noted for his honesty, consistency and discipline, a reason he can win the respect of both friends and foes.

When asked to reflect on his memories as governor of Jakarta, Bang Ali, who recently had a kidney transplant and is yet to recuperate from retina surgery, said he was hurt, disappointed and betrayed by his successors.

His policy to make Jakarta virtually a closed city was lifted by Tjokropranolo. As a result, migrants now freely come to Jakarta, by the millions, causing a chaotic situation in the city. Then Wiyogo Atmodarminto swapped the students' center with tycoon Bakrie for property elsewhere.

"Why did the students keep quiet? They should have held a protest rally against Wiyogo, not Sutiyoso." he said. He was also disappointed with Wiyogo because Wiyogo, in his capacity as chairman of the Jakarta Arts Foundation (YKJ), put TIM and LPKJ/IKJ, previously managed by DKJ, under YKJ.

One of the signatories of Petition 50 critical of then president Soeharto, Bang Ali is now aware that what Tjokropranolo did, was an effort, under orders by Soeharto, to remove all the good things done by Bang Ali in Jakarta.

Despite this betrayal, he still has some hope that the present governor of Jakarta, Sutiyoso, will continue taking care of and continuing his legacy. He was very happy to learn that Sutiyoso declared Jakarta a closed city to becak (pedicabs). Likewise, he is happy to see that Bang Yos, Sutiyoso's moniker, is determined to rebuild TIM, which had some of its buildings destroyed when Suryadi Sudirdja was governor.