Jakarta - The Jakarta administration says one way of attracting more tourists is to better promote the culture of the people who are native to the city, the Betawi.
"The city administration must preserve the already-blossoming Betawi culture as it now has the authority to do so, partly to help boost the tourism sector," Atma Senjaya, the head of the regional autonomy division of the city administration, said Saturday during a discussion held at a Bogor holiday resort.
The city public relations bureau held a discussion on the recently passed Law No. 29/2007 on the administration of Jakarta as the capital of the republic of Indonesia, which compels the administration to preserve and develop Betawi culture, while also encouraging the promotion of other cultures in the capital.
The new law replaces a 1999 law on the city administration.
Atma said one way in which the Betawi culture could be promoted was through, for example, the establishment of Betawi-style buildings.
"The administration, through the city culture and museums agency, could also hold international-level Betawi events to attract more foreign tourists to come here or build a Betawi playhouse, similar to the Jakarta Playhouse."
He said founding an academy of Betawi culture could also be a key to preserving Betawi heritage.
According to the latest Jakarta Statistics Agency data, the number of foreign tourist arrivals in Jakarta reached 103,729 in June this year, up from 99,355 in May.
The figure peaked at around 125,000 in November last year and plunged to 85,000 in February after a series of deadly transportation crashes across the archipelago early this year.
Also a speaker in the discussion, Vice President Jusuf Kalla‘s deputy for political affairs Djohermansyah Djohan said attempts had been made to get the provision included since the deliberation of the 1999 law.
"The stipulation is clear: to practice ethnocentrism in the capital. We want Jakarta to be like other regions that (prioritize) their indigenous descendants," he said.
Echoing Djohermansyah, the chairman of the City Council‘s Commission A on administration, Achmad Suaidy, said: "On one side, the inclusion of the article is a source of pride for the Betawi".
"On top of that, the stipulation means the administration has to allocate an amount of money in the city budget to preserve Betawi culture."
Suaidy said the administration did not automatically have to do likewise for other ethnic groups as "it is obliged only to give them protection".
Source: www.thejakartapost.com (30 Agustus 2007)
