Idul Adha sees mini-exodus out of Jakarta
Idul Adha sees mini-exodus out of Jakarta
JAKARTA (JP): The weekend saw an unexpected mini-exodus out of
Jakarta as many people decided at the last minute to extend the
Idul Adha Moslem holiday on Saturday to Wednesday, which is
Buddha's Day of Enlightenment, by going to their home towns.
Pulogadung, Jakarta's main intercity bus terminal, reported
that thousands of people turned up there after the Idul Adha
prayers on Saturday morning looking for buses which were far too
few.
The congestion at Pulogadung was a marked contrast to the easy
traffic in the rest of Jakarta on Saturday as most people spent
the day at home.
Lack of preparation by terminal authorities may have escalated
the problem although the number of revelers was not as large as
the traditional exodus to the villages normally seen during the
Idul Fitri holidays.
Each arriving bus was mobbed before it entered the Pulogadung
gate by a crowd anxious to get home as soon as they could, the
Antara news agency reported.
"It's the only way of getting seats," said Dadang, who was
heading for Cirebon, West Java, to spend four days with his
folks. "Since Wednesday is also a holiday, I can celebrate Idul
Adha and vacation in my hometown for several days," he added.
It was simply a case of poor planning because some buses were
leaving the terminal in the morning before the rush happened
virtually empty.
But by the afternoon, chaos was the order of the day at
Pulogadung as tens of thousands were stranded waiting for buses
to take them home.
"The number of passengers was beyond our anticipation, far
more than last year's Idul Adha," said a terminal official who
wanted to remain anonymous.
Similar scenes were also reported at Kampung Rambutan terminal
which serves buses bound for cities in West Java, including
Bogor, Bandung and Sukabumi. There were also mini-rushes at the
railway stations in Senen, Jatinegara and Gambir.
Deserted
Elsewhere in Jakarta, the streets looked pretty much deserted,
especially in the morning when most Moslems went for their Idul
Adha prayers in the open fields.
There were moments of traffic congestion around some of the
most popular places for the prayer, including the Al Azhar mosque
in South Jakarta and the Istiqlal Grand Mosque in Central
Jakarta.
The traditional beating of the drum on the eve of Idul Adha on
Friday night was also slightly dampened with many people deciding
to stay home to watch the live telecast of the Uber Cup women's
badminton finals, which saw Indonesia beat the title holder
China.
Open trucks filled with people beating the drum and glorifying
Allah cruised around Jl. Sudirman, Thamrin, Hayam Wuruk and Gajah
Mada till dawn.
Thousands of people also converged on Monas park to spend the
evening.
The usual entertainment places, except at star-rated hotels
and restaurants, were closed in compliance with a gubernatorial
decree in respect of the Moslem holiday.
Some billiard centers however looked to have violated the
decree. One such open center is located in front of the Koja
police station.
At Kramat Tunggak red-light district, the only legal brothel
in Jakarta, it was also almost business as usual during the
holiday, Pos Kota reported. (jsk)