Streets, shopping centers deserted during mass prayer
JAKARTA (JP): Most of the city's main streets were deserted and shopping centers quiet on Sunday as thousands of followers of the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) Muslim organization conducted istighotsah (mass prayer) on Sunday.
The bustling downtown business district turned into a ghost town, with shops along Jl. Gajah Mada, Jl. Hayam Wuruk and shopping centers in Glodok area, West Jakarta closed amid fears of possible riots.
Only a few private cars traveled the streets while many public transportation vehicles, such as buses and vans, carried no passengers.
The traffic was much clearer than it usually is on Sundays.
The city's main thoroughfares, such as Jl. Jend. Sudirman, Jl. MH. Thamrin, Jl. Gatot Subroto, all in Central Jakarta and Jl. Rasuna Said, Jl. MT. Haryono, Jl. Fatmawati and Pondok Indah area in South Jakarta were also quiet.
A bus driver complained of fewer passengers than usual.
He said the situation on Sunday reminded him of the Muslim holiday Idul Fitri.
"I should not have operated my bus but taken a rest at home," Suparjo, who drives a bus plying Bekasi-Blok M, was quoted by Antara as saying.
The shortage of buses forced people to wait for a long time.
A woman complained that she only found a bus from Tangerang to Kampung Melayu after almost an hour's wait.
"I just came out of Tangerang hospital after medical treatment. The politicians never think that their actions could cause us ordinary people to suffer," she said.
The bus, which usually took the city toll road, took a regular road when it reached Tomang junction due to the lack of congestion on the streets.
Slight tension marked the day as dozens of police officers were seen standing on alert at road junctions -- which on a normal day are usually crowded -- such as in Slipi, West Jakarta, Cawang, in East Jakarta and Lebak Bulus, South Jakarta.
Some shops in Gajah Mada Plaza and in Glodok electronic market and nearby street traders defied the order of the day by staying open, although only a small number of visitors were seen.
"People were apparently afraid of possible riots so they were reluctant to go out, although we knew that it was just a prayer," one of the traders said.
A similar scene was visible in Pasar Pagi Mangga Dua, Lokasari shopping center and some entertainment spots in Mangga Besar, all in West Jakarta.
Some shop owners said it would be business as usual on Monday, although they expected a low turn-out of visitors. The House of Representatives will decide on that day whether to issue a censure motion against President Abdurrahman Wahid for a second time.
Many NU followers decided to stay in the city longer to witness the result of the House's plenary session, defying their leaders' order to return home as soon as the mass prayer finished.
Besides shops owners who wished to keep their shops open on Monday, some taxi drivers promised that they would operate on that day.
"I don't care what will happen and I will just drive down the streets. Hopefully there will no chaos," one of the taxi drivers, Soeharto, said.
Quoting some media reports, he predicted the situation on Monday would remain calm.
He blamed the media for the quiet but tense atmosphere on Sunday and, perhaps on Monday, which he said had blown out of proportion the peaceful intention of the mass prayer.
"If I look at the television and newspapers, the situation here was distorted," he remarked.
He admitted, however, that political uncertainty resulting from bickering among political leaders had contributed to the slump in the number of passengers and increase in prices of basic goods.
"I get bored with all the political news, now I only care about economic survival," he remarked. (jun)