Bogor pulls together for APEC conference

By Johannes Simbolon

BOGOR (JP): The long-lost beauty of Bogor has been regained as the meeting of APEC economic leaders is set to take place in just a matter of hours.

"The cleanliness of the town at present reminds me of the 1950s when I was just a little boy. Honestly speaking, the town hasn't been this clean in a long time," said Tanu Sulianto, who was born and raised in Bogor and also hopes to die here.

Bogor people started preparing for the historic event two months ago and have been busy polishing the town up until yesterday, seemingly in an effort to restore some of the city's former glory.

In this town heavily populated with trees, it's almost unbelievable that there were almost no leaves scattered on the street or sidewalks.

On Jl. Surya Kencana, the town's main business thoroughfare, the sidewalks were gleaming with new black and white tiles.

"All shop owners willingly restored the sidewalks with new tiles in front of their shops from their own budgets," said Tanu.

Bogor Mayor H.E. Gunardi, who last inspected the town yesterday, spent most of the day proudly standing in front of the Baranangsiang bus terminal watching over the dozens of people preoccupied with the last cleaning activities.

The APEC economic leaders and journalists will arrive through the gate this morning and will first set eyes on a giant yellow banner reading "Welcome to the Garden City of Bogor" and a long line of colorful blossoms underneath.

"The mayoralty has not given a single rupiah for all these things. It was the public who bought the flowers, trimmings, everything. They realize that this is an important event that will place their town on the world map."

"We got nothing from Jakarta for the preparation of the event," he boasted.

The garden city of Bogor, as the residents now love to call it, seemed to have done its utmost to make the one-day stay of the APEC economic leaders and the journalists here a memorable one.

All of the 23 hotels here are fully booked until the end of the meeting. Schools and offices are closed today. Shops might open but all the owners have opted to rest at home, expecting only a few clients. The main streets which lead to the Presidential Palace are off limits to cars and passers-by from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., while the Baranangsiang terminal will be closed from midnight to the end of the meeting.

A task force of over 717 officers will be deployed to control traffic, said the task force commander Lt. Col. Sutarna.

Shaman

Bogor has also felt anxious about mother nature and her plans for the town, where rain is the order of the day.

The town is normally very proud of their weather, providing the town with the best of tropical nature. However, in the case of the APEC economic leaders meeting, President Soeharto could possibly cancel taking his guests for a stroll through the Bogor Palace's backyard after lunch. In addition, journalists might be hampered in their efforts to cover the event and take quality photos.

After several months of drought, said to be the longest ever in Bogor, it rained heavily early this month and also on Saturday night.

"Very heavily and with lots of thunder," recalled Herry Supadmo, general manager of Pangrango Hotel.

Mayor Gunardi said the first rain led to the downfall of 20 trees, including some near the palace, while Saturday's lightning burned one electricity control unit on the road side, causing a blackout in some downtown areas.

Bogor residents say such rains rarely happen and see some supernatural meanings in them.

"Strange heavy rains happen every time big events are held at the palace. It also happened during the Jakarta Informal Meeting on Cambodia, which was also held here, " Herry said.

Rumors circulating among the Bogor residents said that tens of shamans from across West Java have been hired to ward off rains during the meeting though strongly denied by Mayor Gunardi.

"We never hire shamans. We believe in God. Together with clerics, we have for months routinely held prayers at mosques for the success of the event, including good weather. If shamans are reading mantras to ward off the rains, then it is just the public participating in the success of the big event," said the mayor.

Ki Ageng Selo, a well-known Jakarta-based psychic, dared to predict that it would rain in Bogor after the meeting is finished.

"The rain is nature's very way of saying that the APEC meeting in Bogor will be very successful," he said.