Srengseng gears up for Islamic Betawi village

Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Dozens of young couples are sitting on benches along the bank of a small lake, locally known as setu, in South Jakarta, while others are busy fishing in the lake.

Day in day out, young and old people flock to Setu Babakan in Srengseng Sawah, South Jakarta, which is to become the center point of a planned Betawi village aimed at preserving the Betawi culture in the capital.

"The area has long been used by young couples to pass their weekends. They used to stay there until midnight before the city administration limited visiting times," said Manta, the owner of a food store located near the lake.

He said that since early 2003, the administration had limited the visiting time to 7 p.m. after local residents complained drug abuse, sexual activity and drinking. Since than security officers at Setu Babakan close the gate and kick out all visitors at 7 p.m.

Drugs, sex and drink are theoretically taboo among the Betawi people, who are mostly strong Muslims.

Manta said that courting couples had started visiting Setu Babakan in the early 1990s after the city administration managed to acquire the land surrounding the lake from squatters.

The Jakarta administration is planning to turn the 289-hectare Srengseng Sawah subdistrict into a prestigious tourist and cultural center offering the Betawi culture as its main attraction.

The plan has received strong support from the City Council, which has endorsed a city ordinance that envisages a Betawi cultural village. The regulation requires the administration to create a special subdistrict for the development of the Betawi culture.

According to the ordinance, all physical development must take into account the Betawi culture.

"We propose that all houses in the area should gradually adopt Betawi motifs, and architects should impress visitors about the strong Betawi tradition in the area," said Indra Sutisna, a secretary to the management board of the Betawi cultural village.

It would appear that the job is not easy as, according to another executive of the management board, there are only 75 out of some 9,000 houses in the area that are built in the Betawi style.

The area also lacks entertainment facilities, particularly for families. However, there are water bicycles on the lake and an open theater where Betawi cultural shows are performed every Sunday.

Meanwhile, the kiosks built, roads and fish farms owned by local people around the lake appear chaotic to the visitor.

"During the rainy season, the road is very slippery here. I hope that the administration will soon construct a proper road and provide more entertainment so that more people come here," said Manta, pointing to the dirt road in front of his food shop.

"The only points of interest here are the natural scenery and the fresh air," he told The Jakarta Post.

Manta's comment was echoed by Indra, who said that more jobs would be created if the administration was really serious about developing the area into a prestigious cultural tourist destination.

Work would be created by the construction of a four-kilometer road around the lake, the development of a jogging track, parking lot, and Betawi theater, and the widening of the lake.

"The most important thing is to invite local people to participate in every stage of development so that they will benefit from all the activities here," he said, adding that the administration had organized training on food and souvenir making for local people.