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.