Will Sept. 9 bring calamity or good karma?
Will Sept. 9 bring calamity or good karma?
By Fabiola Desy Unidjaja
JAKARTA (JP): Sept. 9, 1999, according to some psychics, is a
portentous date carrying the ultimate in bad omens: the end of
the world and the human race.
As hundreds of fearful people in East Java have left their
homes and sought shelter in huts they built on a mountain slope,
some Jakartans are seemingly thumbing their nose at the warnings
by choosing this Thursday for their weddings.
Ballrooms in several major hotels and buildings are fully
booked, with prospective brides and grooms wishing to celebrate
their weddings on a unique date that has five "nines" and only
occurs once in a century.
"The date is favored by many couples who are eager to
celebrate their weddings, even though it falls on a Thursday,"
Balai Kartini marketing officer Novi told The Jakarta Post.
Wedding bookings are usually for weekends.
Her statement is supported by the bookings since last year at
Kartika Eka Paksi, Balai Sudirman and Shangri-la Hotel, also
favorites for wedding receptions.
Contrasting the euphoria in the capital, many people in the
coastal town of Banyuwangi in East Java are staying on Mount
Srawet after calamity was predicted for the date by a psychic
named Syamsuri.
Some psychics argue that as all nine planets in the solar
system will be in a straight line on Sept. 9, the position of the
heavenly bodies could bring catastrophe. They warn that a huge
comet could collide with Earth.
An astronomer from Jakarta's planetarium, Widya Sawitar, told
the Post that Sept. 9 would not be the end of the world and the
psychics' predictions were groundless.
Based on his calculations, Widya said that none of the planets
would be in a straight line "at 9 a.m., on Sept. 9, 1999".
"What happens is that a comet may be passing Earth's orbit,"
he said in an interview, noting that over the past two months
three comets were seen approaching Earth. Two of them passed
Earth's orbit while the position of the third has not been
detected further.
A feng shui expert, Tjan Jok Ling, also scoffed at the
doomsday predictions. "Although it is not a very good date, a
catastrophe is not going to happen," she told the Post over the
week end.
TV presenter Becky Tumewu and her fiance Irwan and
photojournalist Oka and Hetty have chosen Thursday as ideal for
tieing the knot.
"It is a very unusual date and it will be the best day of my
life," Becky told the Post.
Hetty and Oka concurred even though some of their family
members are heeding the warnings.
"Although some of our relatives from East Java have refused to
attend our wedding, we are determined to go on with our wedding
party on that date," Hetty said on Friday.
For former president Soeharto and former owner of Bank Bali,
Rudy Ramli, the bad omens for Sept. 9 may come true on a personal
level.
Before his illness, Soeharto was scheduled to give his account
of his wealth, allegedly accumulated illegally during his reign,
on the date. Rudy is scheduled for another intensive police
interrogation regarding the Bank Bali scandal that has caused a
public outcry.
Time alone will tell if doomsday comes to pass this Thursday.