Jakarta is unprepared for New Year festival

Jakarta is unprepared for New Year festival

By Ida Indawati Khouw

JAKARTA (JP): Local authorities, hoteliers, entertainment park
operators, and publishers in the capital are yet to make any
special arrangements to usher in the next millennium.

Interviewed separately by The Jakarta Post on Tuesday and
Wednesday, they said they were currently focusing their
activities on politics, particularly the June general election.

The city administration, for example, had no ideas about the
kind of celebrations that could be organized to mark the once-in-
a-thousand-year night, only 276 days away.

Governor Sutiyoso said: "I'll first check the social and
political situation at that time.

"If it is possible we will hold a celebration, because the
coming New Year's Eve is a rare event, but of course with certain
limitations as the event also coincides with the Muslim fasting
month of Ramadhan."

He admitted that his administration -- due to a lack of
planning -- had been left behind by the world's other big cities,
which were all competing to stage the biggest party for this
special New Year Eve.

"What we can say is that we're now concentrating on our
political and economic recovery to help people escape safely from
the current crippling economic crisis.

"The most important thing for my administration is to maintain
security in the capital during the celebration," the governor
said.

Sharing Sutiyoso's view, acting head of the city's tourism
agency Witjaksono Muwardi added: "We'll probably discuss the
matter late, after the polls."

Tourism sectors are also yet to prepare for the new
millennium, as amusement parks and hotels have not scheduled any
celebrations for the event.

The head of the public relations division of the Taman Mini
Indonesia Indah park in East Jakarta, Dandoel Hardoyono, could
only giggle when asked about the park's plans for New Year's Eve.

"We even don't know whether the situation in our country will
be better after the polls.

"I think many people, especially businessmen, are still taking
the wait-and-see attitude toward the entire development of the
situation."

An executive of Ancol Dreamland Park management in North
Jakarta, Waluyo, expressed similar views.

The management of the park has not discussed anything about
the matter, he said.

Five-star hotels like Hilton and Kempinski in Central Jakarta
had also not yet made any preparation for the event.

The public relations manager of Hotel Hilton, Dewi Widianti,
said the management had not discussed the matter as they were
still concentrating on increasing the hotel's low occupancy rate,
which was sitting at only 25 percent.

While Susana Raharjo, the public relations officer of
Kempinski Hotel, said a similar thing.

In the publishing sector, many major Indonesian dailies
admitted to not having decided whether or not to publish papers
on Jan. 1, 2000.

The Post itself has decided to run on that day, although it
will be a public holiday.

According to Kompas managing editor Ace Suhaedi M., the
management has not yet determined whether to appear on that day.

"We usually see the latest developments (before making a
decision)," he said.

Deputy chief editor of Suara Pembaruan afternoon daily Bonar
Simorangkir said the editors had no plan to publish on that
holiday.

"Usually, on Jan. 1 we are on leave, but I don't know this
time. It is still far away," he said.

Deputy chief editor of Pos Kota daily M. Syukri Burhan said
the same thing.

"We should also see whether our agents and retailers will also
work on that day. Otherwise, no one would distribute our papers,"
he said.