Holiday mood grips capital as people go to the polls

Holiday mood grips capital as people go to the polls

JAKARTA (JP): Holiday mood gripped the capital, which is
well-known for its notorious daily traffic jams, as most of its
citizens went to the polls yesterday.

Only a handful of taxis were in operation and buses plying
their routes transported only a few passengers. A Jabotabek
commuter train, which usually is crowded beyond capacity and
serves the Pasar Minggu-Gambir route, transported no more than 10
passengers per car.

Most major thoroughfares and business centers, including Pasar
Tanah Abang in Central Jakarta and Blok M and Mayestik in South
Jakarta, were deserted. Many shops were closed, while private
companies were either closed or were open until between 10 a.m.
and noon.

Both the United Development Party and the Indonesian
Democratic Party frequently had urged the government to declare
the election day a national holiday or to hold the election on
Sunday, but the requests were turned down. The two parties had
made the appeal to prevent civil servants from being intimidated
to vote for Golkar.

Yesterday's unannounced closures of shops and markets caught
shoppers, including many housewives, by surprise.

Esa Genangku department store in the Mayestik shopping complex
was one of the few exceptions, but housewives intending to buy
groceries had to look somewhere else.

One of the nearest alternatives they found in South Jakarta
was Golden Truly supermarket in Cilandak.

"But when we got there at about 10 a.m., there was already a
crowd of people in front of the store, even though it didn't open
until 11 a.m.," Rusdati Ismail of Tanah Kusir subdistrict said.

Titik Mardiati, who worked in a garment exporting company in
Tanah Abang, said that the Tanah Abang business and shopping
complex was very quiet.

"Most offices there were closed and only a small amount of
traders were seen offering merchandise," she said. This was
completely different from an average business day when the
complex is usually crowded with traffic jams on all roads leading
there.

Titik said she saw an increasing number of sidewalk traders
starting to sell their goods at about noon, possibly after they
cast ballots at their neighborhood polling booths.

"A number of banks and offices, which were operating
yesterday, were closed at about 10 a.m. today," she said.

Rini of Ciledug, Tangerang, said that similar situations also
took place at the Blok M shopping complex where many offices and
shops were closed.

Rini, who works at a hotel company in Blok M, said many
sidewalk vendors and small-scale traders, who usually gather in
alleys, were not seen. "Most of them reportedly went to their
home towns to vote," she said.

The scarcity of visitors was also seen at luxurious shopping
centers, like Sogo and Plaza Indonesia.

The only traffic jam spotted by The Jakarta Post was on Jl.
Thamrin, Central Jakarta, at 8 a.m. yesterday. The snag was
mainly caused by the erection of a number of polling stations,
including the ones in front of Bani Jaya and Bapindo, along slow
lanes.

Polling booths varied from the very simple to ones with
specially embroidered curtains.

"One booth had beautiful curtains which reached the ground.
But it shouldn't have been like that because you couldn't tell if
a person was inside or not," said Idjul, a city employee from
South Jakarta.

In Serua village in Ciputat, Tangerang, polling stations,
encircled by bamboo poles and string, were held on open fields. A
few benches were provided and a small tent covered part of the
enclosed area.

Housing complex residents mingled with residents from the
surrounding community. One woman said the polling station was
"humiliating".

"The ones on television are so nice," she lamented, pointing
at the coarse, thin curtains.

Other residents opened "instant" food stalls serving
refreshments for both voters and their children who came along.

Schools closed early and some first and second grade classes,
which usually start at 10 a.m., were closed the entire day.

"Tomorrow we'll be open as usual," a school employee said.

In Kramat Pela, South Jakarta, which includes Bulungan high
schools near Blok M Plaza, witnesses from PDI were absent during
ballot counting.

"PDI has no money for the bus fare!" joked one voter at a
polling station near Blok M Plaza.

A groundskeeper at the Ministry of Defense said he had already
voted at one of the polling stations on Jl. Medan Merdeka Barat
in the morning.

Abud, 20, from Bogor, said he "didn't understand" what he was
voting for. When told his vote was to elect representatives for
the House of Representatives and the City Council, he said he
only hoped that the elected people would ensure everything was
"safe".

People were happy because streets were quiet. Even
construction activity disappeared as workers took the day off.

Election day seemed even more quiet than Lebaran, Lies, a
Bekasi resident, said.

"It's like passing through a small town," she said. She said
it only took 45 minutes to get from her home to her office in
Senayan, which usually takes two hours via public transport. All
food stalls were closed.

Vendors enjoyed election day because refreshments were in
great demand.

Sugeng, selling ice cream on Jl. M.H.Thamrin, hiked his wares
up from Rp 500 to Rp 1,000 to people in business suits. "Not
bad," he commented.

Newspaper vendors selling afternoon dailies like Terbit were
also quite busy.

One hot spot for vendors was a polling station near Sari
Pacific Hotel. It drew many spectators, including hotel
employees. (ste/anr/10/emb/hhr)