Don't leave home without your umbrella during Idul Fitri because
Don't leave home without your umbrella during Idul Fitri because
the Meteorology and Geophysics Agency (BMG) predicts afternoon
and evening showers on Nov. 3 and Nov. 4 in Greater Jakarta.
The agency also predicts cloudy skies on the eve of Idul
Fitri, with light showers in several areas such as in South
Jakarta, West Jakarta, East Jakarta, Bogor, Tangerang, and
Bekasi, that could dampen the takbiran spirit.
The eve of Idul Fitri is usually celebrated by takbiran
parades, when people cruise through the city in open vehicles
chanting praises to Allah and beating drums to mark the end of
Ramadhan.
BMG's head of public weather information Achmad Zakir said on
Tuesday that evening showers were the trade mark of the east-
southeasterly wind that was prevalent this month.
He said that more rain was expected in December when the wind
changes from an east-southeasterly direction to a more westerly
direction.
"The east-southeasterly wind brings rains in the evenings, as
is happening now. But the west winds will bring more
unpredictable rains, that could last all day, all night and even
for days," Zakir told The Jakarta Post.
As a consequence, daily precipitation will also rise by 10
percent to 20 percent in December, he said, explaining that while
this does not automatically mean floods for Jakarta, people
should still be prepared for the possibility.
"As we enter December there will be more rain falling evenly
around Jakarta, meaning the risk of floods will be higher in more
areas around the city," Zakir said.
While it is unlikely that serious floods as occurred in 2003
will happen this year, floods will likely occur after heavy rains
for three consecutive days.
"At that time we will have alerted the authorities of possible
flooding," he said, explaining that the BMG gives out routine
reports on monthly precipitation, and weekly, daily and spot
weather reports.
Zakir also warned of possible flash floods from Bogor, where
rains will also become more frequent in December.
"If precipitation in Bogor reaches more than 50 millimeters a
day, and it also rains in Jakarta, that's when we must be extra
prepared for floods," he said.
Rains in the coming weeks can also be a hazard for travelers
on their way to their hometowns for the Idul Fitri holiday.
"Although not the only reason, heavy rains in several areas
could cause flooding and landslides," BMG director Sri Woro
Harijono said in a press conference on Tuesday.
She said several areas in West Java such as the Pandeglang
regency, Lebak, Sukabumi, Bogor, Cianjur, Bandung, southern
Garut, parts of southern Tasikmalaya, Purwakarta, as well as the
Cilacap regency in Central Java, and northern Gresik in East
Java, were prone to floods and landslides.
The head of the Geological Disaster Mitigation Division at the
Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, Surono, explained that
West Java was most prone to floods and landslides due to the
area's geological condition.
He also warned travelers to be careful crossing the new
Cipularang toll road toward Bandung, West Java, as it crosses a
landslide-prone area.
"Of course preventive measures have been taken, the water
drainage system is better, for example, so that rainwater will
not have time to be absorbed by the earth and weaken its
composition," Surono explained.
2. Sermon: 2 lines x 32
Messages of peace, love dominate
this year's Idul Fitri sermons
Peace and returning to God's path will be two of the central Idul
Fitri messages in sermons at large mosques across the capital
Thursday.
Noted Muslim cleric Quraish Shihab, in his prepared sermon to
be delivered at Sunda Kelapa Mosque in Menteng, Central Jakarta,
will remind people of the importance of peace in all parts of
life.
"If you cannot help other people, then make sure you do not
cause them harm," Quraish's sermon obtained by The Jakarta Post
on Tuesday, says.
Indonesia, the world's most-populous Muslim country, has been
plagued by religious conflicts in the past few years in which
thousands of people have died.
In Poso, Central Sulawesi, where religious conflicts between
Muslims and Christians have killed over 2,000 people in the past
five years, three Christian girls were brutally beheaded last
week.
Dozens of Christian houses of worship in West Java, Central
Java and Greater Jakarta have also been closed down by Muslim
hard-liners, raising fears of bloody conflicts among followers.
The highlight of the Ramadhan fasting month for Indonesians is
the mass prayer on lebaran morning -- which this year falls on
Thursday -- when according to Muslim beliefs one is cleansed
again, a process known as Idul Fitri.
The sermons following the prayers are an integral and
important part of this cleansing, when Muslims are reminded to
return to God's path.
Bandung Islamic University (Unisba) lecturer Hassanoeddin is
scheduled to give an Idul Fitri sermon at Cut Meutia Mosque in
Kebon Sirih, Central Jakarta.
"He will lecture on the merits of fasting for devotion to
God," an employee at the Cut Meutia Mosque, Heri Hermawan, told
the Post on Tuesday.
He said the mass prayer on Thursday would be conducted at 7
a.m. led by Mahfud Mustofa.
Speaking at the Baitul Ihsan Bank Indonesia Mosque on Jl. Budi
Kemuliaan in Central Jakarta will be Abdul Munir Mulkhan, the
rector of Sunan Kalijaga Islamic University in Yogyakarta.
The theme of Abdul Munir's sermon would be "Idul Fitri's human
angels", Baitul Ihsan Mosque secretariat head Sutarno Madiman
said.
"The mass prayer will be held at 7 a.m. on the grounds of the
Flag Ceremony Plaza at Bank Indonesia," he said.
A mass Idul Fitri prayer at the Istiqlal Grand Mosque -- where
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Vice President Jusuf Kalla
are to pray -- will be led by Nasrullah Jamaluddin, with a sermon
by Malang State Islamic University rector Imam Suprayogo.
Meanwhile, Al Azhar Mosque and Pondok Indah Mosque, both in
South Jakarta, will invite Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic
University lecturers Shobahussurur and Mustofa Yaqub
respectively.
3. Parks: 2 lines x 27
Menteng park development
to cost Rp 55.5 billion
Damar Harsanto
The Jakarta Post/Jakarta
The City Parks Agency revealed Tuesday that the administration
was set to convert the historic stadium of city soccer team
Persija into a community park, for an estimated cost of Rp 55.5
billion.
"The development of the park is slated to start early next
year and it will be completed by the end of 2006," agency
head Sarwo Handhayani told reporters at City Hall.
Handhayani said the park would be equipped with three futsal
fields, 12 badminton courts, six basketball courts, a jogging
track and skating space.
"There will be a playground for children and a plaza for
visitors to hold various indoor activities, like aerobics, even
yoga," she said.
The entire area of the park will be able to accommodate a
total of 1,200 visitors.
The park will also have a basement with parking space for at
least 200 cars.
Governor Sutiyoso said the conversion of the poorly managed
historic park into a community park was meant to cater for
residents' need for space to conduct community activities.
"The conversion is for the greater interest of residents. We
won't convert the park for use as commercial premises," he
asserted.
The planned parking area that would take up space in the park,
he said, was necessary to reduce chronic traffic congestion in
the area.
"When the parking lot is operational, we will restrict on-
street parking in the area," he said.
Traffic congestion is common in the area around the stadium
with many building tenants and visitors parking on the streets.
Parked vehicles on Jl. HOS Cokroaminoto often occupy two of the
street's three lanes.
Notwithstanding Sutiyoso's statement that the stadium would
not be turned over to commercial interests, however, the proposal
outlined by the parks agency allocates space for cafes,
restaurants and street vendors.
The planned conversion has been criticized by many people who
assume a hidden agenda on the part of the administration to
develop the area for commercial purposes, in addition objections
from heritage lovers.
The stadium was one of the country's first modern city parks
and was designed by architect P.A.J Moojen during Dutch colonial
period in 1910.
A gubernatorial decree on the preservation of heritage
buildings and historic sites classified the stadium, originally
called by the Dutch name Voetbalbond Indische Omstreken, or
Viosveld, as an historic site.
Since 1961, the stadium has become the home training ground
for the Persija soccer club.
The administration said that it would provide a new home
training ground for the soccer team in Lebak Bulus, South Jakarta
in exchange for the Menteng stadium.
In addition to the Menteng park, the parks agency is currently
finalizing the construction of the Prince Diponegoro fountain and
statue on Jl. Diponegoro, Central Jakarta, and the shifting of
the Kartini statue from Jl. Diponegoro to the National Monument
Park (Monas).
4. Open: 2 lines x 27
Sutiyoso invites Jakartans
to Idul Fitri gathering
JP/8/open
The Jakarta Post
Jakarta
Governor Sutiyoso is inviting Jakarta residents, including the
poor, to come to his official residence in Central Jakarta to
celebrate Idul Fitri with his family on Thursday.
"Everybody, including the poor, is invited. My residence will
be open to the public (on Thursday)," Sutiyoso said at City Hall
on Tuesday.
Idul Fitri celebrations, which mark the end of Ramadhan, will
fall on Nov. 3 and Nov. 4 this year. High-ranking officials
usually open their homes to their staff and the public at large.
Sutiyoso said that his home on Jl. Taman Suropati No. 7 in
Menteng, Central Jakarta would be open from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m..
"Before that, I will visit the residences of the President
(Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono), Vice President (Jusuf Kalla) and
Minister of Home Affairs (Lt. Gen. (ret) Muh. Ma'aruf," he said.
As in the previous years, Sutiyoso said he would provide meals
for his guests.
Aside from city officials, political party leaders,
businesspeople and ambassadors of foreign countries often come to
Sutiyoso's residence during Idul Fitri.
Sutiyoso said the open house would serve as an opportunity to
ask for forgiveness from one another.
The governor, who is also known for his policy of preventing
unskilled migrants from coming to the capital to seek work, is
himself not a native of Jakarta.
Born in Semarang, Central Java in 1944, Sutiyoso will also
visit his hometown on the second day of Idul Fitri, a tradition
known here as mudik.
Around 2.5 million Jakarta residents will leave for their
hometowns to celebrate Idul Fitri.
"But, I will only spend one day (in Semarang) to meet old
friends and relatives there. I cannot take any more time since my
heart remains here in Jakarta while I am there," he said half-
jokingly.
During the trip to Semarang, he will be accompanied by his
wife Setyorini and daughters Yessi Riana Dilliyanti and Renny
Yosnita Ariyanti, and will drop by at the residence of his mother
and father-in-law in Magelang, also in Central Java.