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.