It's a different day in Jakarta
JAKARTA (JP): Most of the 10 million Jakartans and the people living in surrounding areas celebrated the 50th anniversary of the country's independence yesterday in their neighborhoods in a joyful, family atmosphere.
As in the past, this year's celebration was financed and sponsored locally. The programs included serious activities, as well as much humor and various competitions.
The celebrations mostly started at 11 a.m., after the civil servants and students returned home from the ceremonies held in their offices and schools.
But all of those interviewed by The Jakarta Post said that they enjoyed the local neighborhood celebrations more.
"We could really enjoyed all the events held at our RT (neighborhood unit) as the festivities brought us closer to one another," said a pilot of a private airline company in Curug, Tangerang, 30 km west of here.
Like other residents of urban centers, many Jakartans have few opportunities to mix closely with their neighbors because of busy schedules.
Competitions normally held at the neighborhoods to mark Independence Day on Aug. 17 range from sack races, marble-on-the spoon races, eating-hanging-chips contests, dangdut dancing competitions and wooden pole climbing, which is the most popular. Dangdut is a local music strongly influenced by Indian songs.
In the wooden pole climbing competitions the participants must try to reach the top of a tall pole made from a palm tree. Prizes are placed on the top of the pole, which is greased.
Slum residents in the Bungak Kecil area in Tugu Utara, North Jakarta, held the climbing race for women.
"The prizes are probably worthless to other people, but not to us," said Bang Joni, the neighborhood leader.
"Besides, we just want to say that even the poor can have an original idea and also have an opportunity to rejoice on this particular day," added Usmanto, a member of the local committee.
Meanwhile, the operator of the Ancol Dreamland amusement park also held a pole-climbing race, but with more expensive prizes, including motorcycles and television sets.
Because of the wide range of activities held in the neighborhoods yesterday, many main streets here were deserted.
The Kramat Tunggak red-light district in North Jakarta, which is normally crowded with visitors and annoys residents of the surrounding areas with blaring dangdut music, was also deserted by its "working girls" and their clients.
Local residents said that most of the more than 1,800 prostitutes had gone to hometowns because the complex was closed for three days starting Wednesday.
A few of the prostitutes who stayed behind told The Post that they were quite happy to take part in the sports races within the complex.
With all the activities in the neighborhoods, however, some people also flocked entertainment centers.
"My children forced me to take them to this Dreamland because I failed to take them during the recent school holidays," said Murawi, a civil servant, said at the Ancol Dreamland complex.
Early in the day, thousands of uniformed students and civil servants took part in National Day ceremonies. (bsr)