Tanah Abang market keeps its bad image

By Ida Indawati Khouw

Tanah Abang market in Central Jakarta, which will celebrate its 265th anniversary on Aug. 30, has crime records dating back to the early years of its existence. This is the 50th article on old and protected buildings in Jakarta that appears every Saturday at The Jakarta Post.

JAKARTA (JP): What comes to a Jakartan's mind when Tanah Abang market is mentioned? Most probably: an overcrowded marketplace infested with gangsters and streets congested by vendors fighting a winning battle against horrendous traffic for space to operate.

All manner of crime and social ills exist there, from thugery, theft and corruption to prostitution. Over the past few years, conflicts involving thugs, traders, local residents and city officials has on too many occasions ended in rioting.

In fact, the market has born that kind of negative image since it was built back in 1735. Crime has been the order of the day.

Apart from the image, the market has played an important role in the city's economy. Just to mention one example, the market is known as the biggest textile center in the country.

The crime saga is well-known in the folklore of the Betawi ethnic group, regarded as the indigenous of Jakarta.

Observer of Betawi culture, S.M. Ardan, says that the story of Si Pitung, the famous "Robin Hood" of Betawi, in the traditional lenong theater starts with a goatherd being victimized by a pickpocket at Tanah Abang after selling goats in the market.

"The legend shows that the market was dangerous even in the very beginning of its existence," he says.

The history of Tanah Abang, which literally means "maroon earth", remains unclear.

One version has it that the name was given by troops of the Mataram Javanese kingdom who invaded Batavia (former name of Jakarta) in 1628, when Batavia was under the control of Dutch trading company VOC.

"Most of the area consisted of maroon earth. Abang is Javanese word for maroon (old red)," said the book titled Pasar Tanah Abang 250 Tahun (Tanah Abang Market Turns 250).

The Mataram troops used the hilly area of Tanah Abang, which was surrounded by swamps, as their base camp.

But another observer of Betawi culture, Ridwan Saidi, has a different version. He theorizes that Tanah Abang derives from the word Nabang a certain kind of tree common to the area.

Ridwan refers to the title of a drawing by Dutch soldier and artist Johannes Rach, De Nabang, depicting a panoramic view of Tanah Abang.

"That's why Betawians identified it as Tenabang until now.... The name was changed to Tanah Abang after the construction of the railway station there in 1890," he said in his book Profil Orang Betawi, Asal Muasal, Kebudayaan dan Adat Istiadatnya (Profile of Betawi People, Their Origin, Culture and Custom).

According to him the management of the railway company thought that the word Tenabang was derived from Tanah Abang.

Tanah Abang was a fertile land where people, mostly of Chinese descent, grew many kinds of plants like ginger, jasmine and sirih (betel vine).

That is why until now there are areas near Tanah Abang named after specific plants, like Kebon Jahe (Ginger Garden), Kebon Melati (Jasmine Garden) and Kebon Sirih (Betel Vine Garden).

To transport agricultural products, a wealthy Chinese named Phoa Bingam dug many canals surrounding the area in 1648. The crops were transported by boats through the canals.

It was also Phoa who constructed the big canal, now known as the Ciliwung river, which today divides West Jakarta and Central Jakarta and is the point at which Jl. Hayam Wuruk becomes Jl. Gajah Mada.

As a result of these canals, Tanah Abang became a busy terminus for commerce in many kinds of produce and merchandise.

In 1733 Dutch landlord, Justinus Vinck, purchased the huge land holding of Weltevreden (located in present day Central Jakarta area) which also included Tanah Abang.

"Justinus Vinck witnessed the economic progress in Tanah Abang and the abundance of crops and had the idea of constructing a market there," said the book on 250 years of Tanah Abang market.

On August 30, 1735, the Dutch colonial government granted Vinck the license to open two markets on his property, namely Tanah Abang and Senen.

The license also stipulated that Tanah Abang market could open only on Saturdays, trading in textiles, household goods and vegetables, while Senen market was allowed to open only on Mondays.

Later, Tanah Abang became so busy that the government also gave permission to open the market every Wednesday.

To connect his two markets Vinck constructed roads, including one passing Prapatan Kwitang area in Central Jakarta.

It was the first access road connecting the eastern and western part of Jakarta, says the book titled Batavia Kisah Jakarta Tempo Doeloe (Batavia the Story of Jakarta in the Past).

In the course of time, the market became known not just as the central market for textiles, but also for goat trading. "It was thanks to the Arabian community living nearby, who love to eat goat and have close relationships with the textile business," said Ardan.

In those days, Tanah Abang market was already riddled with crime. It was targeted in the notorious 1740 anti-Chinese riot that started in the walled city of Kota (located in West Jakarta at present).

Books say that the market was torched and Chinese traders fled to the outskirts, abandoning their plantations. The traders returned only after being persuaded by the Dutch government.

The market has undergone numerous renovations in its history due to its rapid growth. The first refurbishment was in 1926.

But, so far, these beautification projects have not resulted in better conditions in the market.