Habibie opens Jakarta Fair in very modest way

Habibie opens Jakarta Fair in very modest way

JAKARTA (JP): President B.J. Habibie opened yesterday the 31st
Jakarta Fair at the Jakarta Fairgrounds in Kemayoran, Central
Jakarta, in a very modest way.

Unlike previous cheerful fair opening ceremonies, which have
always been marked by numerous long speeches with a robust
projection of the country's economic growth, the President did
not make any speech at all.

Habibie just sounded the siren to notify the commencement of
the annual fair and exhibition. Indonesia My Beloved Country sung
by noted singer Harvey Malaiholo came next followed by two dance
performances -- one contemporary and the other Betawi (native
Jakartan).

Gito Bantas, president of PT Jakarta International Trade Fair
Corp., said at the ceremony that only 235 local companies were
participating in the fair, an 80 percent drop from last year. No
foreign firms are taking part.

The sharp drop in the number of participants is mainly due to
the poor economic condition amid the current crisis in the
country, Gito said.

As of December last year, at least 600 companies had
registered to participate in the fair and had paid deposits on
exhibition stands. Another 1,000 firms expressed their intention
to take part, he said. The number of participants, however,
sharply dropped in May, especially after massive riots which
caused the country's economy to practically grind to a halt.

Rudi Hendra, the marketing general manager, said yesterday
that despite the limited number of participants, the fair, which
is in commemoration of Jakarta's 471st anniversary which fell on
June 22, was needed to show the world that business activities in
Jakarta still exist.

"Almost none of the participants are pinning their hopes on
sales and profit in this fair, which is scheduled to end on Aug.
2," he told The Jakarta Post.

In his speech, Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso expressed hope that
the fair could help win back domestic and international
confidence in the economy.

"We want to show to the domestic and international community
that businesspeople can run their businesses again in the city as
the security here is increasingly under control," he said.

Habibie, accompanied by his wife Hasri Ainun Besari, spent
about an hour visiting the stands at the fair. He later stopped
at a stand owned by 48-year-old Lem Anyak, an artisan from
Samarinda, East Kalimantan, and bought three ornamental
necklaces.

"The three necklaces actually cost Rp 245,000, but the
President gave me Rp 250,000," she told reporters.

Habibie and his wife also posed for a photograph with members
of a choir before leaving the fair.

One of the stands also provides cheap basic food commodities.

Also present at yesterday's opening ceremony were the
ministers of the Development and Reform Cabinet, representatives
from foreign embassies, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Subagyo
Hadisiswoyo and business tycoon Sudwikatmono. (ivy/hhr)