Is it `APEC', `apek' or `apes'?: Jakartans are wondering

By Yoko N. Sari

JAKARTA (JP): Every big event generates its own jokes, or anecdotes, and the big APEC gathering in Indonesia over the past week is no exception among the local people.

As newspapers and television have bombarded Indonesian readers and viewers with APEC stories over the past month, people are now beginning to understand what the four letter acronym stands for.

But pronouncing the acronym is another matter and even television newscasters sometimes still get it wrong.

This is where some of the jokes originate. The pronunciation resembles the Indonesian words apek, which means a musty and damp surrounding, or apes, which means unlucky.

These are the two words with negative connotations, which many people are using now to describe the APEC gathering, especially if they have to bear some of the brunt, or excesses, of the major event.

Street vendors are among those who, while not complaining too stridently, lament that they have been asked not to trade in Jakarta's main roads and at busy intersections in the run-up, during and, perhaps, after APEC.

"I don't understand why the little people always have to suffer every time there is an international conference in the city," said Yan, who usually hangs out at the National Monument (Monas) park just across from the Presidential Palace.

Many vendors, either not aware of any ban, or simply stubborn, keep returning to their usual business sites every day. And just as quickly, officers from the city's security and order agency pick them up.

The sweeping of vendors off the streets is only one among the extra measures taken by the government to make the APEC meetings successful.

The city administration, for instance, has gone extra miles to make the city as beautiful as possible, planting flowers in the medians along the main thoroughfares and installing new decorative lights.

"Because of APEC we have become apes (unfortunate)," Sri, another habitual Monas park vendor, who lives in the Tanah Tinggi slum area, said in describing the recent turn her life has taken.

She said that the municipal public order office had prohibited vendors from their trade from Oct. 31 until Nov. 21, but several vendors tried to circumvent the ban because they do not have any other livelihood.

"We have to play hide and seek with the officers from the agency because we will be hungry if we don't," Sri said.

Yan, who lives in the Gambir railway station, said they have to be prepared to run away from patrolling officers to avoid paying the hefty fines.

For public transit drivers, the APEC meeting is a Catch-22 situation.

They had earlier feared that the presence of APEC leaders and the hordes of officials and journalists would create massive traffic congestion, which would mean less income for them.

Traffic jams were such a major headache for the national committee, which has organized the APEC meeting, that the government agreed to its proposal to declare Monday and Tuesday as public holidays.

Now city bus and taxi drivers say the holiday means even less revenue than they had previously anticipated because most people have left town.

"I thought APEC was supposed to discuss ways of boosting the people's welfare. But my welfare is taking a definite downturn," joked Sobikin, a taxi driver who lives in Bekasi Timur.

To some, the public holiday is an APEC gift in many ways.

Tris, a junior high school student, who also works as a shoeshine boy at City Hall, does not know what APEC means, but said, "If school is off, I'm all for it."

Benefit

But the barrage of publicity about the benefits of APEC and the hosting of the conferences to Indonesia appears to have been successful.

"It means that the world is acknowledging Indonesia as one of the economic giants in Asia and they are also admitting Indonesia is a country which has national political stability," Tri Riki, a student of the University of Indonesia, who lives in Penjaringan district, North Jakarta, said.

"This is going to be very good publicity for Indonesia as the host of the meeting. For three days Indonesia will become a center of International attention," Uci, another student from the same university, who lives in Pekayon Bekasi, said.

"This is a chance for local businessmen to get international partners or buyers. Just like the governor said, they have to use this opportunity," said Zainal Mutaqin, a city administration official.

"Yes, this is absolutely a big chance for local businessmen, but I doubt that the small businesses will benefit," commented Shanti, an employee of a private company.

Some, however, question whether or not the government has gone overboard in preparing the APEC conference by clamping down on vendors.

Minister/State Secretary Moerdiono, who heads the National Committee for the APEC conference, said he never asked the Jakarta authorities to sweep vendors off the street, or even to clamp down on crime in the name of APEC.

It appears that the city authorities have been acting on their own initiative.

"I understand the government should make thorough preparations for the meeting. But it should have not gone so far as clearing vendors or hawkers off the streets," Uci said.

"The government has exaggerated this event as if the kings of the world are coming to this city and the streets should be clean of vendors and the general public," Tri Riki said.

The street vendors said the government should do more than just chase them around to make the capital cleaner and more beautiful.

"The government should give us transportation allowances so we all can go home for the whole month," Yan said to the applause by his fellow vendors.