Jakarta to develop new Betawi village

Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Jakarta will soon have a new Betawi village should a plan to turn the Srengseng Sawah subdistrict in South Jakarta into a Betawi cultural village get a nod from the City Council.

The council is currently deliberating a draft bylaw that, if approved, would serve as the legal basis for the plan.

Under the draft, prepared by the City Culture and Museum Agency, the development of Srengseng Sawah, spanning over 165 hectares, into a Betawi cultural village would start with two small lakes -- Setu Babakan and Setu Mangga Bolong -- landmarks that are expected to draw both local and foreign tourists.

The draft also stipulates that houses, shops, office buildings situated in Srengseng Sawah must use Betawi architecture and motifs.

It also mandates the Jakarta governor to issue decrees on the types of buildings that can be constructed in the area.

Head of the Culture and Museum Agency's supervision division Chandrian Attahiyat said such bylaws were needed to allow local authorities to compel all parties to build houses, shops or other buildings using Betawi architecture and motifs.

"We learned from our failure in developing Condet as a Betawi cultural center," he told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.

Condet, an under developed district in East Jakarta, was declared a Betawi cultural village in 1970s.

The program, however, did not run smoothly as the city could not control physical developments in the area. Various kinds of buildings using non-Betawi architecture have since been built there.

In the draft bylaw currently being deliberated by the City Council, any violation is punishable with six months in jail or a Rp 5 million (US$550) fine.

According to him, before proposing Srengseng Sawah as a Betawi cultural village, his agency had held surveys in four different locations. The three others were Marunda in North Jakarta, Kemayoran in Central Jakarta and Condet.

Srengseng Sawah was chosen as the atmosphere, the environment and community were close to pristine Betawi culture.

Some 3,000 people are living inside the proposed 165 hectare conservation village. They come from various ethnic backgrounds and regions in the country.

Currently, only around 20 percent of houses bear Betawi cultural motifs.

The draft bylaw also opens the possibility for business people to take part in developing the area. Businesses that could be developed there include small industries, agriculture, farming, and tourist destinations.

Betawi refers to people living in the coastal areas of Jakarta. There are no clear statistics on the number of Betawi, but their population is believed to be decreasing.

Others areas where Betawi people live include Luar Batang in North Jakarta, Tanah Abang in Central Jakarta and several areas in Tangerang and Depok.