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.