New Year's festivities not centralized

New Year's festivities not centralized

JAKARTA (JP): Governor Surjadi Soedirdja said yesterday the
city administration will not centralize New Year's Eve
festivities in order to prevent the possibility of rioting.

Surjadi that allowing millions of people to gather in one
place at one time could pose a danger to public security.

"When millions of people gather at one time in one place,
riots can break out easily," he said.

Surjadi appeared to be commenting on city councilors'
suggestions that the capital's New Year's Eve celebration be
moved from the Ancol recreation center in North Jakarta and
focused in the National Monument (Monas) area of Central Jakarta.

Surjadi explained that on New Year's Eve people have different
intentions, some want to enjoy the entertainment and others might
want to spend the last day of the old year outdoors, while others
may have different reasons. In the past, activities have been
spread throughout the capital, with events scheduled for Monas
and Taman Mini and other places, while the peak of the
celebration at midnight was in Ancol.

The New Year's Eve celebration is different from Kenduri
Nasional, for which the city administration held a big party at
Monas park, last August, he said.

"Millions of people were at Kenduri Nasional with one
motivation, to enjoy the fireworks," he said.

The governor also said that the city administration, in
cooperation with the police and the military, is well prepared to
secure the capital on New Year's Eve. As many as 11,000 police
officers and military troops have been fielded to protect people
celebrating Christmas and New Year's Eve.

The ongoing anti-crime operations conducted by both the police
and the military and the market operation which is aimed at
stabilizing the prices of food are part of the program for
securing the holidays, he said.

The market operation involves the release of additional food
supplies to markets by the logistics agency in order to guarantee
a balance between supply and demand. In this way the prices can
be stabilized.

Inspection

Surjadi visited the Pulogadung bus terminal in East Jakarta
and the Senen railway station in Central Jakarta yesterday to
check on the readiness of transportation services for holidayers.

The governor carries out the inspection each year during big
holidays, such as Christmas, New Year's and Idul Fitri, to get
first hand information about the transportation services,
including about any arbitrary increase in fares by bus owners.

During last year's fasting month, Governor Surjadi scolded a
bus company owner after being told by passengers that the bus
crew had increased the fares.

He also became angry upon seeing a ticket counter for the
state-owned bus company, DAMRI, closed although hundreds of
passengers had been waiting in line for hours for a chance to buy
tickets.

The head of the city land transportation control agency, J.P.
Sepang, said yesterday that from Dec. 18 to Dec. 26, as many as
64,889 people have left the city on 2,370 buses for their
hometowns in West, Central and East Java.

Sepang said that the number was smaller than for the same
period in previous years. In 1994, 79,750 people left on 2,467
buses, while in 1993 a total of 92,761 people left the city on
2,253 buses.

The head of the Pulogadung bus terminal, Hakim, reported that
so far no ticket scalpers have been operating in the terminal.

The head of Senen railway station, B. Arief, said that the
number of train passengers this year also decreased. The peak day
was Dec. 23 when 11,114 people left Jakarta to spend Christmas
and New Year's in their hometowns. During last year's Idul Fitri
holidays, 31,000 people left Jakarta on trains. (yns)