T

he administration has announced plans to convert the a former military base on Jl. Raya Bekasi, East Jakarta, into a Betawi arts center.

“Based on a suggestion from the Betawi Consultative Body [Bamus Betawi], we will renovate the old military district command building and turn it into the Betawi art center,” Jakarta Governor Fauzi Bowo said after a meeting with Bamus leadership on Wednesday.

The administration would commence the renovation process this year and expected to complete the development next year so the center could be opened in 2012, Fauzi said.

The building, the former headquarters of Military District Command (Kodim) 0505, also known as the Mesteer Cornelis building, was formerly the residence of Cornelis Senen, a native of Lontar Island, Maluku, who headed the Banda community in Batavia in the 17th century.

The building was often used as the headquarters of local military forces during the Independence war, including for Kodim 0505.

In a bid to preserve Betawi heritage, Fauzi said he also planned to expand the Betawi Culture Village in Situ Babakan, South Jakarta, adding land to the existing 2,564-square-meter site.

“We have prepared a master plan for the village and will acquire 3.2 hectares of [extra] land this year,” Fauzi said.

According to Agus Asenie, the supervision coordinator for the Betawi Culture Village Management Body, the Jakarta administration had prepared Rp 27 billion (US$3 million) for the acquisition.

“We want the village to represent the culture, traditions and way of life of the Betawi people, from times gone by to the modern era,” Fauzi said.

Agus said the planned site would cover 289 hectares in total, and would be equipped with a gallery, a Betawi theater, traditional houses and other elements that would reflect Betawi traditions and culture.

“This is still an embryo,” Agus said.

Bamus chief Nahrowi Ramli said he was glad that the administration was helping to preserve Betawi
culture. The village could provide the public with a means to observing the richness of Betawi culture, he said.

JJ Rizal, a Betawi history expert from the University of Indonesia, said he appreciated Fauzi’s plan, but said it needed to develop the existing concept for the village.

“The existing Betawi village in Situ Babakan doesn’t really represent Betawi culture yet,” he said.

He added that the center needed a stronger concept so that traditional Betawi houses and culture could be represented properly.

“Fauzi, who is a Betawi native, was elected by the majority of Betawi people, but unfortunately he has been unable improve the lives of the Betawi people and its culture,” Rizal said.

— JP/Irawaty Wardany