Development pushes Betawi to the outskirts

Development pushes Betawi to the outskirts

JAKARTA (JP): If anyone has fallen victim to the current
development drive, the Betawi people have. The more development
projects go on in the nation's capital, the further they are
pushed from the homes of their ancestors.

Outsiders, drawn to Jakarta by the power and potential for
profit it represents, are better educated, far more competitive,
and often much better off. So the Betawi sell their birthplaces
to the migrants, and find themselves struggling to maintain their
existence on the periphery of Greater Jakarta, the land their
forebears once owned.

Ramadhan KH, a writer and observer of Betawi culture, said
that due to a lack of education, the Betawi people have been
unable to face the keen competition for employment among the
residents of Jakarta and its surrounding areas. This low level of
education affects their overall economic situation as well.

He said that many Betawi families prefer to send their
children to Madrasah (Islamic boarding schools) rather than to
public schools.

"Betawi people have very good virtues," he said, adding that
they are extremely religious, honest, self-confident and
humorous. Theirs is a democratic society, meaning that they do
not recognize any social status.

He observed, however, that they have negative facets as well,
particularly when it comes to material matters. They often
sacrifice their property for unimportant things, Ramadhan
explained.

Citing an example, Ramadhan told The Jakarta Post that the
Betawi are apt to sell off plots of land, often at a very low
price, just to buy a motorcycle, or to hold a wedding party. For
that reason, these indigenous Jakartans have lost almost all of
their valuable property. Consequently, they have had to move to
the city's outskirts.

City councilor Amarullah Asbah, who objects strongly to
generalizations about the Betawi people, pointed out that there
is nothing unique in the unfortunate experiences of the
indigenous Jakartans.

"There are always people who have to give up their land to
make way for development," Asbah, an indigenous Jakartan and a
member of the Golkar faction, said. This happens not only in
Jakarta, but also in the other parts of the country, he said.

"There are always people who have success stories and those
who don't," he noted, calling upon people not to dramatize the
plight of the unsuccessful Betawi.

He acknowledged that some Betawi people face difficulties, but
he quickly pointed out the fact that no matter how hard their
lives are, the Betawi people never lose their will to struggle;
they never become dependent on the good will of other people.

"Do you see any Betawi men or women begging at cross
intersections? No. The Betawi don't do that," he said.

When it comes to work, the Betawi people are creative. It was
the Betawi who created the new "profession" of tukang ojek
(motorcycle taxi drivers), Asbah said.

The ojek drivers operate in many parts of the city, especially
where public transportation is unavailable.

Tile, 64, a famous Betawi comedian, who has starred in dozens
of television shows and movies since 1987, said he had no idea
why the Betawi people seem to lag behind the other ethnic groups
that make up Indonesia's diverse populace. Nor could he even
begin to guess about how to reverse the situation.

Lenong

"I don't know the answer to such questions. But I have one
piece of advice to the younger generation of Betawi people, and
that is that they never stop loving lenong," he said.

Lenong is a Betawi drama performed to the accompaniment of
music.

Tile has performed in lenong shows since the 1960s and still
pursues that profession with the famous Sinar Jaya group led by
Haj Nasir.

Tile, the father of eight -- all ojek drivers or laborers --
said he was not sure if the younger generation needed to improve
themselves educationally in order to strike back, or even to
survive.

Maryati, 22, also a lenong player, who has become highly
popular of late due to her brief appearance as Munaroh in the
television series Doel Anak Sekolahan, said the Betawi are
typically humorous and carefree people. Many, if not most of
them, don't take care much of their future and prefer living in a
relaxed manner.

Although most of the Betawi people have been pushed to the
periphery of Jakarta, she is proud of being Betawi.

"Today, the Betawi culture is in fashion following the success
of the TV series Doel Anak Sekolahan. Many people are now making
films about Betawi culture," she said. (jsk/raw/sim)