I

n another move to entertain Jakarta'€™s residents, Governor Joko '€œJokowi'€ Widodo will hold a weekly night market along Jl. Medan Merdeka Selatan, which is where his office is located.

Talking to reporters at City Hall, Jokowi said the Jakarta Night Market would be held every Saturday night from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m.

'€œWe will involve 200 selected vendors to sell their products or dishes during the event, which is scheduled to be held in the next two or three months,'€ Jokowi said, adding that he would prioritize local businesses that created unique products.

'€œThe street will be divided into two areas, creative and culinary. There will be an entertainment stage in the center,'€ he added.

When asked why the governor preferred to hold the event on Jl. Medan Merdeka Selatan, he reasoned that it was the heart of the capital. '€œWe will only use Monas [the National Monument] park for large-scale events,'€ Jokowi said.

Each business selected to sell products at the event will only have to pay Rp 5,000 (48 US cents) in sanitary fees and an additional Rp 50,000 to rent a booth, while those who do not need a booth will only need to pay an extra Rp 15,000.

The city administration has allocated up to Rp 760 million for the planned event. However, '€œI am upbeat that the event will attract sponsors,'€ the governor said.

Jakarta Police deputy chief Brig. Gen. Sujarno said the city police would fully support the governor'€™s plan.

'€œWe will support whatever the governor is planning, particularly if the plan can reduce the number of vehicles. We have held such events before and they were a success,'€ he said.

'€œJl. Medan Merdeka Selatan is a good choice as there aren'€™t so many vehicles there compared to more vital roads like Jl. MH Thamrin and Jl. Jendral Sudirman. There are many options to engineer traffic diversions as well,'€ he said, adding that the city administration and the city police would hold a coordination meeting regarding the security issue.

Within less than a year of his leadership, Jokowi has held various folk parties which were held at the heart of the capital, such as Monas square, Jl. Medan Merdeka Selatan and Hotel Indonesia traffic circle, which attracted tens of thousands of people.

'€œThese kind of events will become our social capital to build the city '€” they boost social interaction among residents, as well as providing destination options other than malls. I aim to nurture people'€™s sense of belonging toward the city,'€ Jokowi said.