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Weeks after poll, calm returns to Polonia House
On Monday, a number of street vendors could be seen serving food and beverages to people passing in front of a large, well-known house in Cipinang, East Jakarta
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n Monday, a number of street vendors could be seen serving food and beverages to people passing in front of a large, well-known house in Cipinang, East Jakarta.
'It's been very quiet here since the court ruled against the petition filed by the Gerindra [Party] people,' Heri Cahyono, a beverage seller, told The Jakarta Post in front of Polonia House, the one-time residence of the country's first president, Sukarno, and most recently the campaign headquarters for the Red-and White-Coalition.
The coalition, which supported the Prabowo Subianto-Hatta Rajasa ticket in the July 9 election, filed a complaint with the Constitutional Court in the wake of the election, charging that the victory of Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo and Jusuf Kalla was illegitimate.
The court's decision to overrule the petition and affirm Jokowi and Kalla as the next president and vice president, respectively, on Aug. 20 effectively buried Prabowo's presidential ambitions.
A month after the Constitutional Court read its decision, Polonia House looked deserted, with only a few construction workers entering and leaving the premises.
On any given day, only a couple of vehicles could now be seen entering and exiting the premises via the house's majestic front gate.
'I don't see many wearing political symbols anymore, as in the past few weeks. It's a contrast to the campaign period,' Heri said.
During the presidential campaign, thousands of people in white shirts with red Garuda eagle emblems, flocked to the house, at times chanting the names of the presidential and vice presidential candidates they supported.
In the days leading up to the July 9 poll, Prabowo's supporters could be seen filling the front lawn and lobby of the historic house.
On May 19, Prabowo and Hatta officially announced their presidential candidacy at Polonia House in the presence of several well-known figures from the political parties that make up the Red-and-White Coalition: the United Development Party (PPP), the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), the National Mandate Party (PAN), the Golkar Party and the Crescent Star Party (PBB).
'People still think of this house as Prabowo's house. It's become a landmark in this area,' Heri said.
Before Prabowo and Hatta used the house, which covers approximately 5,000 square meters, as their presidential campaign headquarters, it was owned by Democratic Party politician Haryono Isman, who then sold it to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's prayer recital assembly chairman, Harris Tahir, in 2010. Harris then lent the house to Prabowo and Hatta.
Adi, another street vendor who occupied a spot in front of the house, lamented the lack of visitors to Polonia House, visitors from whom he had made Rp 3 million (US$250.5) per week.
'There used to be thousands of Prabowo-Hatta supporters from around the country, as well as a lot of media crews, but now business is back to normal,' Adi said, adding that he could barely make Rp 2 million a month now from customers such as construction workers.
A construction worker who was working inside Polonia House said the owner of the house wanted to convert it into an Arab-themed restaurant. (idb)
