Betawi Cultural Center a work in progress

Arya Abhiseka, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Anyone who turned up at the newly opened Betawi Center on Monday expecting to view books, pictures and documents on the Betawi ethnic group would have discovered that the center remains a work in progress.

Governor Sutiyoso officially opened on Friday the Center for Betawi Art, Culture, Education and Studies at the Jakarta State University (UNJ). The center is expected to promote and illuminate native Jakarta art and culture, both locally and internationally.

Sarnadi Adam, chairman of the Betawi Center, said the institution was looking at 2010 as the date by which it hoped to introduce Betawi culture to large audiences both at home and abroad.

"Currently, we do not have any space or offices for the center. It is a work in progress but we are working to make the center a dependable source of information on Betawi culture," he said.

However, Rien Safrina, an assistant to the dean of the School of Languages and Culture at the UNJ, told The Jakarta Post that the university had proposed a budget of between Rp 4 billion (US$449,438) and Rp 5 billion to establish the Betawi Center, but the proposal was turned down by the city administration and the government.

"For now, we will only be promoting Betawi culture through events that present Betawi dancing, music and paintings," she said.

It remains unclear why the governor officiated over the opening of an institution that is only a work in progress.

Antara reported that after inaugurating the center, Sutiyoso donated Rp 150 million for the establishment of a mosque on the campus of the university.

As Jakarta has grown and become more cosmopolitan, the Betawi people have seen their influence wane.

In response, many Betawi people have formed groups and associations to demand more recognition from the city administration as the original inhabitants of Jakarta.