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)