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he Jakarta Tourism Agency and the Tourism and Creative Economic Ministry added to the fanfare of Independence Day by holding a cultural parade at around the National Monument (Monas) on Sunday afternoon.

The parade, called Monas Jakarta Carnaval, included 33 groups representing all of the country'€™s provinces and was launched by the Jakarta'€™s assistant deputy governor for tourism Sahrul Efendi.

The participants also brought statues and effigies representing cultural buildings, such as a Monument from Yogya and the Borobudur temple from Central Java.

Puspa, a participant from Central Java said she was enthusiastic about presenting her culture.

'€œWe brought a 3-meter miniature of the Borobudur temple and we hope President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono will see us,'€ she said, adding that she hoped the President'€™s wife, Ani Yudhoyono, would take a picture of the group and post it on the first lady'€™s famous instagram account.

The parade'€™s route included the Presidential Palace.

The residents also got a chance to watch the parade from inside the Palace as the security officers allowed them to occupy
hundreds of chairs in the palace grounds provided by the event'€™s committee.

Ajeng, a resident from Tangerang, Banten, said it was her first time entering the palace grounds and she was happy because aside from watching the parade comfortably, she could also hear information about each province'€™s culture read by the event'€™s presenter.

'€œUnfortunately Jokowi (Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo) and Ahok (Jakarta Deputy Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama) didn'€™t attend this parade,'€ Ajeng said. '€œThis is my first time seeing the President but I also want to see Jokowi and Ahok.'€

Jokowi did not come to the parade because he was at Ngawi, East Java, helping his party'€™s campaign, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP) that nominated Bambang DH and Said Abdullah for East Java'€™s gubernatorial candidacy. Meanwhile, Basuki was attending the Jakarta Souvenir Design Award 2013 presentation at Senayan City, South Jakarta.

Jakarta residents celebrated Indonesia'€™s 68th Independence Day on Saturday through various activities.

The city'€™s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community, for example, celebrated the day by holding a badminton tournament called the Rainbow Cup at the Asia Afrika badminton hall in Senayan, South Jakarta.

'€œWe want to involve ourselves in positive activities on Independence Day. A lot of LGBT people like sports, so we decided to organize this event,'€ tournament organizer from Forum LGBT Indonesia Yulita Molyganta said on Saturday.

She said the tournament attracted more than 100 participants from across Indonesia: Jakarta and its satellite cities; Makassar, South Sulawesi; Bandung, West Java; and Padang, West Sumatra, among others.

Aside from the badminton tournament, event participants could also take part in various community games like makan kerupuk (cracker-eating contests) and lari kelereng (running with marbles).

'€œI'€™m excited to take part in the tournament, because here I can play badminton with fellow LGBT people. I hope they will hold the event again next year,'€ Nova, a 34-year-old participant from Padang, said.

Meanwhile, people in Kalimalang, East Jakarta, celebrated the day by playing Perang Bantal (Pillow War) on balance beams across the Kalimalang River.

'€œThe game is really entertaining, it reduced the stress I experience from my day-to-day activities,'€ Maulana, a 23-year-old participant, said.

Meanwhile, Jokowi went to the Pluit Dam area in North Jakarta on Saturday to inaugurate a newly installed park after he had led a flag-hoisting ceremony at the National Monument (Monas) park in Central Jakarta.

'€œThe park belongs to Pluit residents, not to individuals. So I expect everyone to take care of it, for example, by watering the plants here,'€ he said on Saturday.

After attending the inauguration ceremony, the residents enjoyed musical entertainment to celebrate the Independence Day. (ogi/ian)