Restoration of historic Sunda Kelapa still a dream

Restoration of historic Sunda Kelapa still a dream

Tantri Yuliandini, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Dozens of phinisi ships dock at the Sunda Kelapa harbor in North
Jakarta. The traditional large wooden sailing vessels with tall
masts, all in a row, create an illusion of a busy
intercontinental center of trade in the days long past.

For those with an active imagination, it is easy to picture
the harbor in its heyday, when it was still a bustling center of
activity for the Dutch East Indies Company (VOC) some 400 years
back.

Traces of its past glory are still visible, to those with a
discerning eye -- a unique roof here and an elegantly decorated
windowsill there -- and for those with a passion for antiquity,
the grime of North Jakarta could become a fascinating journey
into the past.

For a long time now, the Jakarta administration has struggled
to recreate the illusion of the past for a wider public -- not
only those with an avid imagination -- at the site where the
capital first took form, the old Kota area.

Beginning in 1972, during the governorship of Ali Sadikin, the
administration launched a major restoration and conservation
project for Fatahillah square and Kali Besar district areas.

"We wanted to create a Kota (city) that could become the pride
of Jakartans," the managing director of the Sunda Kelapa
Waterfront Tourism Development Board, Martono Yuwono, told The
Jakarta Post. He was one of the architects employed in Ali
Sadikin's ambitious restoration project.

The project, completed in 1974, successfully restored several
old buildings including the Jakarta Museum and the Wayang Museum,
and cleaned up the area surrounding Kali Besar.

"This action was then followed by the restoration of part of
Pasar Ikan (fish market) and the Sunda Kelapa harbor in 1975,"
Martono said.

He said Ali Sadikin's project had been one of the first
projects for the restoration of old town sections in the region,
after which countries like Singapore followed with its Boat Quay
and Clarke Quay in the 1980s.

However, instead of being a leader in the region for old city
restoration, the end of Ali Sadikin's governorship in 1977 also
meant the ending of the administration's strong support for the
project.

For many years after, the old Batavia restoration project
remained an elusive dream -- kept alive in the minds of only a
few people such as Martono Yuwono.

"What we need is a strong leader with a vision for
restoration, a transparent public-private partnership, and a
sophisticated marketing strategy. We are not just selling land or
buildings, but also history," Martono argued.

Despite lacking political backing, the restoration of oud
Batavia (old Batavia, a name given to the city by the Dutch) goes
on today, albeit slowly.

A master plan of the Sunda Kelapa area was drawn up in 1997
with a US$400,000 grant obtained from the Netherlands government,
for a Batavia Quay or a Heritage theme park, an area reserved for
entertainment and retail outlets which maintains the architecture
and atmosphere of oud Batavia.

Sunda Kelapa had a prominent role in the history of Jakarta.
It was one of the most important city ports of the ancient Hindu
kingdom of Sunda.

The port was important enough for the Portuguese to negotiate
an agreement with the local government for the construction of a
godown and a fort at Sunda Kelapa, according to a 1522 stone
monument -- the padrao -- discovered in the area.

However, in 1527 famous Muslim leader Fatahillah and his army
took over and drove out the Portuguese defending the city-port.

Fatahillah then renamed the city-port Jayakarta, or "glorious
victory". The date of Fatahillah's triumph -- June 22, 1527,
according to historians -- became the date of Jakarta's
anniversary.

Sunda Kelapa's importance was again highlighted with the Dutch
East Indies Company (VOC), that arrived in 1596, making sure the
company had a stronghold at the port with the construction of
Fort Jacatra, and later with the Castle Batavia.

"The plan is to highlight four periods in the history of Sunda
Kelapa -- Hindu (the Sunda kingdom), Muslim (attack and rule of
Fatahillah), colonial (Dutch rule) and independence," Martono
said.

He explained that during the struggle for independence
founding father Sukarno had landed in Sunda Kelapa after his
return from exile.

In the master plan, the 90.6 hectare area of Sunda Kelapa will
be divided into several sections, such as the Holland Jewel
Village, the Iacatra Harbor area, Long Godown, Fish market and
Bugis Village.

The Holland Jewel Village, will be developed as a tribute to
the heroics of Sultan Agung from the Mataram kingdom for his
attacks on the Castle Batavia in 1628 and 1629, and will used for
mixed commercial purposes.

The Iacatra Harbor area, a tribute to Vijayakarta, a vassal of
the Sultan of Banten and ruler of Sunda Kelapa in the early
1600s, for his struggle and resistance toward Dutch rule. The
area will be developed as a center of entertainment.

The Long Godown area, former VOC storehouses, will be
developed as an office center, the Fish Market as a maritime
tourist center, while the Bugis Village will be developed as a
traditional fishermen's village.

"Batavia Quay will offer the best in modern as well as
traditional goods, food, and attractions in the setting of
intriguing river port," Martono said.

So far, the restoration of two historical buildings has been
undertaken by private developers. PT Sunda Kelapa Lestari has
restored a 17th century VOC shipyard into a restaurant and cafe,
VOC Galangan, on Jl. Kakap 1, and an 18th century anchor
warehouse on Jl. Kakap 5 has been developed as a cafe, karaoke
bar, and hotel.

Martono said that his office had signed memorandums of
understanding (MoU) with seven other developers who would convert
some of the non-vital areas of the historical site into middle-
level apartments, restaurants, and shops.

"Of course the architecture will have to be appropriate with
the surroundings and the theme of old Batavia," he added.

Despite obvious headway and concrete planning of the project,
Martono declined to predict when the Batavia Quay dream would
materialize, saying that although the MoUs have been signed many
developers are still waiting for the administration to provide
basic infrastructure such as roads.

"Again, what we need is a leader with a vision and strong
political will," he said.