Megawati inaugurates merrier Jakarta Fair

JAKARTA (JP): Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri inaugurated the annual Jakarta Fair on Friday amid growing optimism that the economy will improve and encouraging signs of society's increasing political tolerance toward the Chinese community.

Some 1,507 local and foreign companies and agencies are taking part in the month-long event that includes not only trade exhibitions but also cultural exhibitions and performances.

The number of participants is more than five times the 270 which took part in last year's fair, but it is still lower than the 2,500 exhibitors in 1996, the year before the economic crisis hit.

For the first time, the fair, which is part of the celebrations to mark the city's anniversary which falls on June 22, has opened a special section on Pecinan Tempo Doeloe (Old Chinatown) that displays various Chinese artifacts.

Paulus Japutra, who has set up his Chin art gallery in the section, said the Chinese minority welcomed the idea as it would communicate an openness.

Many ethnic Chinese regard themselves as Indonesians, but they miss their root culture. Now, they can celebrate the city's anniversary in the Chinese tradition, he said.

At Rona studio, visitors can have their pictures taken wearing Chinese costumes and makeup, using a Chinese panorama as the background.

This special section will be a good opportunity to introduce Chinese culture to Indonesians through artwork, Hendra Kusuma, the studio's photographer, said.

"Many native Indonesians from different religions and ethnic groups want to have their pictures taken wearing Chinese outfits," Hendra said.

The event's organizers have also accommodated 400 small-scale vendors who have opened stalls in the huge Jakarta International Trade Fair complex in Kemayoran, Central Jakarta.

In her opening speech, Megawati told fair participants to use the event to maximize their business opportunities.

She urged local participants and the government to improve their information system so that they could link their businesses with investors and other players in the sector.

"They could provide investors with actual and accurate information about themselves and their products," she said.

Traditional Betawi dances, Jigrik Endat and Cokek, were performed and an orchestra comprising members of the Guruh Soekarnoputra Production company played at the opening ceremony. Guruh, a noted choreographer, is Megawati's younger brother.

Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso in his speech said the strong participation in this year's Jakarta Fair could be an indication that the Indonesian economy was starting to recover.

The Jakarta International Trade Fair's corporate communications officer Nugroho Aditomo said the organizer expected a total of two million visitors, compared to 700,000 in 1999 and 2.5 million in 1997.

Nugroho called the event a "Party for Jakartans".

"No other event can draw as many people in the greater Jakarta area," he told The Jakarta Post.

The organizers have coordinated with the Jakarta Land Transportation Agency and bus operators to make the Kemayoran area more easily accessible to people from various destinations.

"Some public transportation operators who serve routes near the fairground have been asked to extend their route to pass through the area," Nugroho said.

On security arrangements, Nugroho said the local police station and the military district had deployed their personnel.

"We just want to make sure that security in the fairground and in the surrounding area are well taken care of," he said.

The complex stands on a 44-hectare plot, 20 hectares of which house exhibition sites while the remaining is used as a parking lot which can accommodate up to 6,500 vehicles.

Most participants have expressed hope that this year's fair will bring in more profit, although some were concerned about security in the area.

Kismanto, a staffer at a stall selling ground coffee, said security was important because of the large number of people expected to visit the fair.

Sri, who usually sells snacks in Ancol Dreamland, said she had been eagerly waiting for the event, hoping to earn four to five times more than normal.

Sri said she had had kiosks at other trade events held at the fairground but the Jakarta Fair was the time she enjoyed most because of the atmosphere.

"It really reminds me of the old times," she said, adding that this is the 15th time she had exhibited at the fair. (06)