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Poor coordination, Internet connection mar AACC opening
Poor information services as well as an on-and-off wireless Internet connection at the venue of the 2015 Asian-African summit at the Jakarta Convention Center (JCC) in Jakarta marred the event on Wednesday, in scenes that may lead to the lack of a positive first impression among international media
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oor information services as well as an on-and-off wireless Internet connection at the venue of the 2015 Asian-African summit at the Jakarta Convention Center (JCC) in Jakarta marred the event on Wednesday, in scenes that may lead to the lack of a positive first impression among international media.
Local and foreign journalists complained that information related to access to the media center had not even been distributed well beforehand, causing confusion because rumor had it that many areas as well as entrances would be restricted during the arrival of heads of state and government.
'I got here after being forced to leave by security officers when I attempted to enter the building via the entrance we used yesterday, because today it has become the entrance for VVIPs,' said a journalist.
Hundreds of journalists flocked to the JCC's Hall B entrance from 5:30 a.m. as information circulated the night before said that media should arrive before 6 a.m. But the gate for media was not opened until 6:30 a.m., about an hour before the heads of delegations began to arrive.
'I heard Paspampres [Presidential Security Forces] would not allow any visitor to get in on foot. So I rode my motorcycle. But it turned out they did not prepare parking space for two wheelers, so I was not allowed to enter the area. So I had to park my bike at a hotel nearby and walk for about 15 minutes to the JCC after trespassing over a fence,' said a local journalist.
Once they got inside the media center, which could accommodate 800 journalists, new problems appeared.
'The Wi-fi is very slow. It's frustrating,' said a foreign journalist who eventually left his laptop and used one of the available PCs instead.
Many officials from state-owned telecommunications company PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia (Telkom), which provided the telecommunications services at the venue, were available for assistance.
Two of them were eager to address the complaint but after half an hour they could only blame 'the conflicting frequencies due to tethering, wireless microphones used by television cameras and other things'.
Many journalists also expressed disappointment because officials from the Communication and Information Technology Ministry and the State Palace's Press Office played ping-pong with journalists inquiring about special badges to cover heads of states' bilateral meetings.
A hilarious moment occurred when journalists turned their attention the big screen to watch the opening speech of President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo.
The sound channeled to the speakers suddenly shifted to the English interpretation, prompting protests from some journalists. After about five minutes, it shifted again to Indonesian, as delivered by Jokowi. (++++)
