Rain city gets ready for big meeting

By Hidayat Jati

BOGOR (JP): This scenic Indonesian city of rain will make its mark in world history once again as it gets ready for the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting on Nov.15.

Located about one hour's drive from Jakarta, Bogor has quite a bit to offer world leaders, as well as commoners. The city boasts two landmarks: the magnificent colonialistic State Palace, and the ever charming Botanical Gardens located just next to the former.

Closer to recent times, the Bogor Palace was the chosen venue for the Jakarta Informal Meeting on Kampuchea in 1988, an event which led to the triumphant solution of the lingering problem of Cambodia.

Bogor, a town of 300,000 people and which still has scores of grand colonial buildings, was also picked as one of the spots for another remarkable event in the history of Indonesia's foreign policy.

It was here in December 1954 that President Sukarno -- Indonesia's first president -- held discussions with his distinguished Afro-Asian counterparts, an event which became the first step toward the formation of the Non Alignment Movement which Indonesia now chairs.

To most Indonesians, especially for those who grew up in the 1960's, Bogor Palace will be remembered as the site where the aging Sukarno effectively surrendered his political power when he signed the March 11 Order in 1966, empowering the then young Army General Soeharto to take the necessary measures to restore order and stability in a nation deep in turmoil.

One may argue that it is the city's cool, wet climate and the hypnotizing effect of the Palace -- full of hundreds of paintings of nude women -- which allow such negotiations or maneuvers possible.

Despite those given assets, Bogor's municipal government refuses to take any risk in ensuring the APEC meeting runs smoothly.

Eddy Gunardi, Bogor's mayor, told the press recently that the city has allocated at least Rp 800 million (about US$363,000) to rejuvenate the city.

"We will plant flowers from the exit of the Jakarta-Bogor toll road to the entrance of the Palace. We will also erect giant portraits of all the APEC leaders," Eddy said.

The mayor's office has rerouted Bogor's busy traffic since Nov.2, so that the fleets of Mercedes and BMWs -- the official APEC limousines -- can reach the Palace without the slightest hitch.

"When the big day comes, the street which encompasses the Palace will be free of all private and public vehicles as well as pedestrians," Eddy said.

He added that during the meeting about 4,000 security personnel from the central and local government will be mobilized.

The mayor even hinted that he would not be surprised if his office, or the meeting's organizing committee, will then hire a pawang hujan (man with mystical powers to prevent rain) to ensure the smoothness of the planned joint open-air news conference given by the APEC leaders.

In the meantime, the Bogor office of PT Telkom, the state- owned telecommunication company, has said that it has provided 800 additional telephone lines for the meeting in the city.

A Telkom spokesman said that 750 out of the 800 lines will be utilized to cover the needs of the expected 4,000 journalists.

The State Electricity Company (PLN), meanwhile, has followed suit. PLN announced it is allocating seven billion rupiah for the entire APEC events.

"About five billion rupiah will be allocated just for the one day meeting in Bogor," said PLN president Zuhal recently. He added that a four-layer backup system will be utilized in the Palace.

Chairman of the City Tourism Agency Muchtar Nasution told reporters recently that his office has allocated two hotels with a total capacity of 121 rooms, 20 inns with 414 rooms and youth hostels with 62 rooms for journalists and officials.

A news report stated last month that embassies in Jakarta had booked 95 percent of all hotel rooms in Bogor where room rates range from Rp 40,000 to Rp 93,000.

The move to give Bogor a prettier face -- even for just one day -- was also supported by the city's growing private sector. A number of commercial banks, including Lippobank and Bank Danamon, have voluntarily decided to close their Bogor offices on Nov.15.

Palace

The center of attention in Bogor is, of course, the grand State Palace with its lavish 24-hectare lawn. This is the place where about 300 Indian deer call home and most Indonesian know as a Presidential resort.

Official records show that the Palace was built, initially as a country house, by Dutch Governor General Baron Gustaaf Willem van Imhoff in around 1744.

Van Imhoff, inspired by his true country-gentleman aspiration, decided to use the Blenheim Palace in England as the country house's architectural inspiration.

The Blenheim Palace was the residence of the Duke of Marlborough in an area near Oxford.

Van Imhoff loved the building (he called it Buitenzorg which means "without care") and eventually settled there until 1750, when his term ended, although his beloved country resort was still not completed.

The care-free estate eventually suffered revolutionary arson in the early 1750's and several renovations which cumulated in 1870, when it was formally chosen as the official residence of the Governor General of the Netherlands East Indies.

The Palace received an additional English touch during the reign of Sir Thomas Stanford Raffles in the early nineteenth century when the British briefly ruled Java.

An avid botanist, he not only built the Bogor Botanical Gardens but also renovated the Palace's lawn based on the characteristics of England.

Any resemblance between the Bogor Gardens and the Kew Gardens in London is no coincident.

President Sukarno used the Bogor Palace in the 1950's and 1960's as a place to relax, where he could entertain himself with artwork, mostly comprised of paintings of nude women or sculptures, and a venue to throw his numerous dance parties.

President Soeharto, in stark contrast, hardly ever used the Palace for his private pursuits. The records say that he used the mansion twice for the wedding ceremonies of his two children: Sigit Hardjojujanto and Siti Hardiyanti Rukmana.

Soeharto allows the public to visit the Palace if it is not being used by the State.

Official figures say that the number of tourists visiting the Palace have been on the increase. The data shows that the figures keep rising from 1,758 in 1991 to 2,195 in 1992 and to 3,398 in 1993.

Recent news reports state that the Palace received major face- lifts in preparation of the meeting. Brand new chandeliers have been brought in from Sweden and the Czech Republic, while new air-conditioners were also installed.

The meeting itself will take place in the Garuda room, which is located in the Palace's main building which is flanked by the East and West Wings.

After this is all over, Bogor will then get back to its traffic jams, rising air pollution and mushrooming shopping malls that might one day overshadow the town's majestically quiet old buildings.