Jaksa Defenders Front

Jaksa Defenders Front

Simon Pitchforth's article on Jl. Jaksa did little more than
perpetuate the stereotypical perceptions of this celebrated and
notorious street. His whimsical portrayals of Jaksa
inhabitants indicate that he has spent little time talking to
them and much time judging them. Since his idea of fun is to
bring his own friends and completely take over a small
restaurant, I can only assume he prefers judging people to
meeting them.

Not all the visitors to Jaksa are tie-dyed hippies. Not all
the expats are "on the slide". The ladies are definitely not
all "dentally challenged". Their smiles are wide and bright,
despite their often tragic histories.

The "overly-optimistic blowpipe salesman" also happens to be a
kind, gentle, intelligent, well-respected man who is always ready
to help a friend or a stranger. If it weren't for draconian
customs laws, he would sell dozens of his well-crafted
blowpipes at the reasonable price he asks.

There is also a man on Jl. Jaksa who is some kind of parking
attendant. He is quirky, possibly autistic, and can speak just
about any language you can throw at him. I have met a former
professor who now dedicates his life to picking up litter, a
former hit-man who now teaches at a primary school, a foreign
millionaire who lives in squalor alongside the railway tracks,
and many other characters who are drawn to Jl. Jaksa for one
reason: it is the only place in Jakarta where individuality is
truly celebrated.

Unity in diversity sounds good on a coat of arms or a coin,
but where is it really practiced in Indonesia? Community with
conformity would be a more fitting motto in most cases.
The sense of community in Indonesia is strong, and should
be celebrated. But in this post-Soeharto era, with the nation
fumbling towards freedom and democracy, it is time to also
celebrate the diversity within the community. Not just the
diversity of races and religions, but of ideas and lifestyles.

The majority of conflict in Indonesia is sparked by one group
opposing another, and there are so many groups (and groups within
groups) that is impossible to memorize all the initials used in
a single edition of The Jakarta Post.

The large groups shout while the smaller groups whisper
in darkened rooms behind closed doors. The voice of the
individual with an independent viewpoint is barely heard, rarely
heeded, and more than likely to get the individual in trouble
with the herds.

The characters who inhabit Jl. Jaksa are not wearing it down.
They are propping up the last bastion of independence against
the forces that rail against it. They are people who took their
freedom instead of waiting for some authority to grant it with
forms filed in triplicate.

They are individuals working together to form a community, as
opposed to a community working to absorb individuals.

BRAD BRYANT
Melbourne-Australia