Jakarta's anniversary date, an endless controversy

Jakarta's anniversary date, an endless controversy

Anissa S. Febrina, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Is Jakarta really 478 years old? The question should probably pop up in one's mind while
observing the frustrating traffic woes, irregular spatial pattern
in several places in the city and other out-of-order things that
would make a list so long you would be bored to tears.

"There are no written documents that can prove the date of
Jakarta's anniversary," Adolf Heuken, noted author on the city's
history, told The Jakarta Post.

Heuken pointed out that it was natural that the origin of a
city was derived from legends and myths, pointing out the origin
of Rome as an example.

"If it was based on such legend it must be said so and not
claimed as history," he stated.

Last year, prominent Betawi (native Jakartan) observer Ridwan
Saidi argued that the date of Jakarta's anniversary, June 22,
should be changed.

He said that on that date in the early 16th century,
Fatahillah, also known as Falatehan, was instructed by the King
of Cirebon to invade Jakarta, then known as Jayakarta. During the
attack, Fatahillah destroyed buildings and homes belonging to the
Betawi people.

In 1958, then-Jakarta governor Sudiro, made official the
commemoration date based on a research by historian Soekanto.
There has been controversy about the authentic date of birth of
the city ever since.

Despite the controversy, the history of the capital is still
worth observing. As Heuken quotes from another historian, "one
who does not know the past, does not understand himself." The
history of Jakarta, which Heuken compiled in his books, was to
help people to appreciate what is left from the old city.

Jakarta is a young city compared to Beijing, Hanoi or Kyoto.
But, compared to other capitals in South East Asia, Jakarta's
history is much longer, he said, adding that cities like Bangkok,
Singapore and Kuala Lumpur only dated back to the 18th century.

Located adjacent to the Jakarta Bay, which links it to the
Java Sea, Jakarta started as the most important port of the a
Sundanese kingdom, frequented by traders from Sumatra, India and
Japan, as well as Europe.

The capital of Sunda was situated at Batutulis in Bogor, south
of Jakarta. Sunda Kalapa port (kelapa means coconut, but kalapa
was used in old documents), as it was known then, was first
mentioned by Portuguese chemist Tome Pires who traveled to
Malacca seeking spices.

The name Sunda Kalapa was recorded until the mid 16th century
and written on Asian maps which date back to the early 17th
century.

The name Ja(ya)karta was never mentioned until it appeared in
a document written by Portuguese historian Jao de Barros in 1553.
"Considering the travel from Asia to Portugal, the name Jakarta
might have been first known to the public somewhere at the end of
the 1550s," Heuken said.

However, he said, that the name Sunda Kalapa was still widely
used until the end of the 16th century. "The first document to
use the name Jakarta was done in 1602."

Meanwhile, the birthdate of Jakarta known to the public now is
that which commemorates the victory of Fatahillah from the
Islamic sultanate of Demak -- with the Bantenese as an ally -- in
taking over Sunda Kalapa in 1527 from the Sundanese. The harbor
city was run by the Bantenese since.

That was perhaps why some mocked the decision as "Sudiro's
victory", after "Fatahillah's victory" which became the basis of
the decision. "They think if they want to commemorate a city's
birth it must be marked by something grandiose like a victorious
take over," Heuken added.

Another fascinating thing that Heuken revealed was that "there
are no indigenous Jakartans."

"What they are, if any, are a blend of ethnic groups ranging
from Indian, Tionghoa (Chinese), Javanese and others," he said.

He explained that following the forcible takeover of Sunda
Kalapa by the Dutch under the command of politician/accountant
Jan Pieterszoon Coen, the Bantenese ruler retreated inland,
followed by his people, leaving the city nearly empty.

"They (the Dutch) needed a work force to rebuild the city and
they brought in people from India and Tionghoa," he said, while
adding that later the Javanese and the Balinese would come. "The
name Betawi (what people recognize now as "native" Jakartans) was
derived from Batavia, the new Dutch-coined name of Jayakarta."

In his book Historical Sites of Jakarta, Heuken revealed an
interesting fact that the name Batavia was in fact, used in
remembrance of the Batavier (pronounced as "batavi", very similar
to the word betawi), a teutonic tribe that were the ancestors of
the Dutch in Europe.

"What characterizes native Jakarta culture from others is the
fact that it has no specific character, it is a mix of a lot of
cultures," he said. "A true melting pot."

He added that such things are common for old harbor cities as
it is by nature very open to foreigners. It is very much what
Jakarta is now, a blend of so many ethnic groups and races
seeking opportunities to work in the city.

So many aspects of the history of Jakarta remain vague as very
little written documentation has been found. "Even the ones that
exist, must be interpreted carefully for they might have
additional information, which show that other groups had held
power at one time or another," Heuken explained.

Quoting another historian, maybe history is sometimes "his-
story", a story essentially made up for reasons other than truth.
"There are always interested groups that want to take part in the
writing of history, but, there are written documents worth
seeking, from where we can compare one story to another," Heuken
said.

So, if you really want to know how old the city is, well, like
the line from in a sci-fi show, "the truth is out there, ...
somewhere."