City anniversary activities reflect diversity of city

Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Jakarta looked different Wednesday. Cleaner parks, streets and colored decorations and lights indicated that the city was in a festive mood.

Residents however seemed to have their own ways of celebrating the city's 478th anniversary.

Some radio stations brought the party to the residents' homes early in the morning by inviting listeners to share their expectations and views about the city, ranging from flooding, traffic jams to the recent issue of malnutrition.

"I dream that Jakarta someday will be free of traffic jams," commented a listener.

"I just hope for a sense of security. No bombings. No rioting," another listener said.

Another radio station invited a city official for an interactive talk.

Television stations presenters also donned Betawi -- native Jakartan -- attires.

Some stations featured brief comments from celebrity figures about the city anniversary.

"I think Jakarta is already too crowded with people. Worse still, the situation will only get worse with the massive influx of people coming here," said Ujo, a comedian with the Project P group.

Most offices, hotels, shops were also took part in the celebrations by decorating their premises and getting their workers to wear native Jakartan costumes.

All civil servants and officials at City Hall also dressed up in native Jakartan attire instead of their usual military-green uniforms.

Meanwhile, scores of poor residents organized by the Urban Poor Consortium staged a rally at the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle to demand that the administration pay more attention to the plight of undernourished children in the city.

The rally, which featured giant effigies depicting native Jakartan people and an effigy of an undernourished infant, also urged the administration not to implement the controversial regulation on land acquisition for public development purposes.

The city administration also organized a celebration, which was open to the public, in the front courtyard of City Hall on Jl. Medan Merdeka Selatan and at the National Monument (Monas) park.

A giant stage equipped with two projecting screens were available for spectators coming to watch the music performances.

The celebration reached its climax with a fireworks show from the four corners of the Monas tower, combined with a laser performance that beamed silhouettes of Jakarta governors, including incumbent Sutiyoso.

Being absorbed in the festive mood, many residents might well overlook the intriguing question that inevitably surfaces every time Jakarta celebrates its anniversary: Is Jakarta really 478 years old? Forget history, let's party ...