'Bang' Ali feels honored, betrayed

'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.