Jakarta gets decked out in colorful lights

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesians could not have chosen a better month to gain their independence. Not only is August a bright, sunny month, it also means grand, magnificent, stately or brilliant.

Now, the city is living up to the last term in that list of meanings as Aug. 17 nears. Mansions and huts alike are sparkling with the colorful lights put up to mark the most important day in the life of every Indonesian.

Everywhere in the capital, as in most other places throughout the country, these celebratory lights have transformed the mundane into the extraordinary in a way some consider extravagant.

The transformation of the nation's capital is partly due to Jakarta Governor Surjadi Soedirdja's encouraging the owners or occupants of all buildings to put up decorative lights to commemorate Indonesia's 50 years of independence.

The various colors of the lights and the decorative shapes they form are expected to raise the people's spirits as they struggle home through chronic traffic congestion.

At the very least, the scenery along Jakarta's streets, large and small, is expected to take on a festive appearance with lights decorating skyscrapers forming letters defining the meaning of 50 years of freedom and brightly lit billboards telling the crowds their advertisers are proud to observe the country's independence along with them.

And once they get home, the commuters will be greeted by their own patriotic light shows in their front yards.

To some people, however, the penchant for commemorative lights is becoming a bit excessive. A friend told me, "You know what? These ornaments are making me dizzy. I can't even distinguish between a normal residence and a night club."

I believe that the ornaments are symbols of happiness, and nothing more. But for some of this city's resident's they have become a symbol of prosperity, with home owners competing with each other to be numero uno and, by inference, to appear better off than their neighbors.

Clearly, a huge amount of money has been spent on decorating the houses, streets and buildings with lights. And one cannot help but wonder whether this money couldn't have been put to a better cause. There are still many people without electricity in many parts of this archipelago. What an irony it is that Jakarta is bedecked in a display of exuberance, while darkness and hardship mar other places in this nation.

And yet, it seems that the consensus is that the lights are for everybody to enjoy and that this benefits the less unfortunate people as well because it makes them feel that they have somehow participated in celebrating the country's independence. Some would even go so far as to say that this display of national exuberance has narrowed the gap between the fortunate and the less fortunate.

If that is, indeed the case, hopefully these ornaments will not disappear as soon as the Aug. 17 the celebration is over. And hopefully, people will retain the sense of joy the Independence Day celebrations have brought with them.

-- Pandu Sjahrir