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.