Yogyakarta seeks right concept for Sekaten night market
Yogyakarta seeks right concept for Sekaten night market
Sri Wahyuni, The Jakarta Post/Yogyakarta
When the Yogyakarta municipal government revamped the image of Sekaten night market last year, it never imagined that it would harvest criticism, especially regarding its accessibility for poor families.
No less than Yogyakarta Governor and Sultan Hamengkubuwono X called for a review of the policy, particularly the entrance ticket that most people consider too expensive.
Jogja Expo Sekaten (JES), as the night market is named, is a rebirth of the religious and cultural nature of Sekaten (rituals held in observance of Prophet Mohammad's birthday) into a mainly business-oriented happening. The market that revolves around the observance of Sekaten runs for about a month.
Organizers were also criticized for their failure to make the night market cleaner and more presentable, much less making it free from thuggery, as was previously promised.
"Thuggery is still evident in the night market area, especially along the sidewalks of North Alun-alun Square," councilor Herman Isdarmadi of Yogyakarta Municipal Council said.
"It also still has the same slummy, untidy look it had before, especially from the outside," distinguished public figure Tirun once commented.
Jointly held with Surabaya-based event organizer PT Citra Pamerindo, JES was initially designed to change the "traditional look" of the market into a more modern night market to support the city's tourist industry.
Municipal secretary Subarkah argued that the measure was taken because, up to 2003, the Sekaten night market was not only untidy and dirty but was unprofitable as well.
To make it more lucrative and convenient for both visitors and vendors, air-conditioned domes were made available at JES for the second time around.
Last year's JES provided the municipal government an additional net income of Rp 125 million, a figure that many consider fantastic, especially since it had given almost no additional income to the local government previously.
What had and has been people's concern, however, is the consequence of the "modern look and convenience" for them. Previously during the Sekaten festival, they paid only Rp 1,000 on weekdays and Rp 1,500 on weekends/holidays as an entrance fee to the market.
During JES, however, they had to pay Rp 2,500 on weekdays and Rp 3,500 on weekends/holidays last year.
This year, the entrance tickets were initially sold for Rp 4,000 (weekdays) and Rp 4,500 (weekends/holidays) but later were dropped to Rp 3,000 (weekdays) and Rp 3,500 (weekends/holidays) due to an increasing protests from the community.
"Frankly speaking, we are now still looking for the best arrangement for the Sekaten night market so that it will still be able to maintain the religious and cultural values of Sekaten while at the same time can also support the tourist industry in the region," Subarkah said.
For that purpose, he said, the municipal government had been inviting all the stakeholders to give their input. It also welcomes participation and suggestions from any other parties.
An interesting suggestion comes from cultural observer Yuwono Sri Suwito, who is also chairman of Yogyakarta Provincial Cultural Council and Director of Yogyakarta's Javanology Institute.
"If people oppose JES and prefer to have PMPS (the old-style Sekaten market) instead, why don't we just hold the modern expo on other occasions? We could, for example, hold it in observance of Independence Day in August, or Yogyakarta city's anniversary in October," Yuwono said.
GBPH Yudhaningrat, a younger brother of Hamengkubuwono X, suggests that the municipal government should not focus too much on the economic element of the night market, as it was originally a religious and cultural event. That way, he said, Sekaten would not lose its sacred value.
"It is very pleasing to see people coming to the night market without being burdened by the costly entrance ticket," said Yudhaningrat, adding that the use of foreign terminology in the name JES for the traditional event was also disturbing for many locals.
Director of Gadjah Mada University's Center for Tourism Studies Hendrie Adji Kusworo, similarly, reminded the municipal government that if its purpose was to attract more tourists to the region through Sekaten as a religious and cultural event then it should not reduce the authenticity of the sacred event.
"Authenticity is what today's modern tourists are looking for. So, please avoid the placing of economic considerations before religious and cultural values," Hendrie said.