Jakarta slows down in first day of Ramadhan

JAKARTA (JP): The capital was quiet on the first day of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadhan on Thursday as people seemed to reduce their routine activities.

Unlike other working days, almost all of the city's major thoroughfares and main streets were left deserted. No traffic jams were to be found. Many public buses plying the normally busy routes had few passengers. Crowded buses were rare.

Similar moods were also evident in many business and shopping centers.

People seemed to reluctantly carry out their activities even though their offices opened as usual.

Thomas M. Flohr, chief security officer of Wisma GKBI's management on Jl. Sudirman in Central Jakarta, said all of the building's tenants continued their business activities as usual, but with flexibility.

"Most of them shortened their working hours between half an hour to one hour earlier than usual to allow Muslims to break their fasting," he said.

Sluggish activities were also witnessed at other office complexes along the central business district of the capital, such as that at the Wisma Nusantara building on Jl. Thamrin and the Plaza Sentral building on Jl. Sudirman.

A customer service officer of PT Wisma Nusantara International's management, Hari Budi, admitted that employees at the tower preferred to subdue their activities during the first day of Ramadhan.

"That's why traffic along the thoroughfares here is smooth," he said.

His company, itself, reduced its employees' lunchtime period from one hour to only half an hour in a bid to close earlier.

The annual month-long Ramadhan obliges Muslims the world over to fast and refrain from indulging in worldly acts from dawn to dusk. The end of the fasting month is marked by Idul Fitri, where Muslim Indonesians traditionally visit relatives and friends to ask for forgiveness for any possible mistakes in the past. During that time, adults and children usually wear new clothes to celebrate the festive season.

Although Idul Fitri is still a month away, traders have started preparing in order to take advantage of it.

In the popular Blok M business district in South Jakarta, for example, scores of kiosks and tents have been erected in many parts of the area, such as at the parking lots and the Blok M underground mall.

A temporary kiosk tenant at Blok M underground mall, Alex, said that the rental fee for a six square meter kiosk was Rp 5 million for the whole month.

"The rental fee is actually too expensive but I hope that I will have a big turnover in the run-up to the holiday," the seller of woman underwear said.

Large stores in the area have begun to offer up to 70 percent in discounts to attract buyers. (ind)