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.