Jakartans to welcome 2003 with street party, prayers

Jakartans to welcome 2003 with street party, prayers

Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

While the fear of terrorist attacks has not totally abated,
Jakarta is expected to play host to a joyous New Year's Eve
street party along Jl. MH Thamrin and Jl. Sudirman in Central
Jakarta, with hundreds of thousands people expected to attend.

They will enjoy free entertainment in the form of traditional
cultural shows from various regions before joining in religious
contemplation at the main stage in front of the Grand Hyatt Hotel
at the Hotel Indonesian traffic circle.

Because of the event, the city's two main thoroughfares will
be closed to vehicles from 6 p.m. The police will close off all
access routes to the two streets between the Semanggi cloverleaf
in the south and Harmoni in the north.

The cultural shows to be presented include Reog Ponorogo from
East Java, Kuda Lumping from Central Java, Ondel Ondel and Lenong
from Jakarta, and the ethnic Chinese Barongsai dragon dance.

The street party, organized by the Indonesian Television
Broadcasting Association, will be the first in the city since the
time of former governor Ali Sadikin in the 1970s.

"The highlight of the event will be New Year's Eve
contemplation at the main stage at the HI traffic circle, where
the representatives of six religions (Islam, Protestant,
Catholic, Hindu, Buddhist and Confucian), will pray together,"
said the organizing committee's chairwoman Uni Zulfiani Lubis on
Monday.

Noted Muslim cleric Abdullah Gymnastiar will lead the
contemplation at 11:40 p.m., which will be relayed on five giant
screens along Jl. Thamrin and Jl. Sudirman.

The screens will also show in turn special New Year's Eve
programs from all the country's television stations featuring top
local artists.

Unfortunately, none of them will perform live on the street.

Unlike in previous years, Jakartans will celebrate the New
Year without fireworks. The decision was made after the police
banned fire crackers during the fasting month.

The police are also vowing to strictly control traffic on New
Year's Eve.

The city administration's Social Disturbance Monitoring Agency
(Pusdalgangsos) director, Raya Siahaan, said that the police
would start screening vehicles heading to Jl. Thamrin and Jl.
Sudirman at 2 p.m. on Wednesday. Only motorists who wanted to go
to offices or other establishments on the two streets would be
allowed to pass, while others would be diverted.

Although the Idul Fitri and Christmas celebrations in the city
passed off peacefully, the police have yet to reduce security.
Around 15,000 police officers have been deployed to secure the
New Year Eve's celebrations.

On Sunday, the final of Tiger Cup at the Bung Karno sports
stadium also took place smoothly even though 110,000 people
watched the game and Indonesia lost to Thailand.

Further public entertainment for New Year's Eve will be
provided at the Indonesia in Miniature Park (TMII) in East
Jakarta and Taman Impian Jaya Ancol in North Jakarta, which is
partly owned by the city administration.

Governor Sutiyoso will spend his New Year's Eve both in TMII
and in Ancol, whose management hopes to obtain a special permit
from the police for a long-planned fireworks show.