City-owned operator KAI Commuter Jabodetabek (KCJ) made this year'€™s Independence Day in greater Jakarta different from previous years by celebrating the special day onboard its railway cars.

The company decorated a railway car on the Bogor-Jakarta commuter line with paraphernalia such as a map-shaped floor sticker, wallpaper sporting quotes from national heroes, small plastic flags and photos of public figures. The wagon was like a small museum celebrating the history of Indonesian Independence.

'€œWith the paraphernalia, I can not only tell my kids about Indonesia but also recall my memories of what I learned in school,'€ said Yamaluddin, a 45-year-old father from Depok, West Java, who was traveling to Kota Tua, Central Jakarta with his wife and two children.

Aside from decorating its railway cars, KCJ also invited its passengers to join in a short ceremony on the Bogor-Jakarta line held at 10 a.m.

Assisted by two scouts in each railway car, the passengers were invited to sing the national anthem Indonesia Raya while saluting the national flag shown on the onboard LCD monitors of the cars.

'€œWe would like to take part in commemorating our Independence Day with a different form of celebration. If mountain climbers celebrate the day by holding a flag ceremony on a mountain top, then we celebrate it by singing the national anthem on the commuter line,'€ said Muhammad Fadillah, KCJ president director on Monday.

On the same day, KCJ also launched a nationalist-themed design of its commuter line prepaid cards and allowed passengers to travel on the commuter lines for free from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m.

In other parts of the sprawling metropolis, residents celebrated merrily with the usual fun games.

Dewi Sartika, a resident of Taman Borobudur 1, Tangerang, said that residents in her neighborhood celebrated Independence Day this year with various competitions for both children and adults.

'€œCompetitions are not only for kids but also for parents, like the bakiak [wooden sandal] competition for couples, balap karung [sack race] for the men, and balloon races for the women,'€ said Dewi, adding that the prizes, which were kitchen utensils, were no less attractive.

Aside from traditional competitions that every year enliven Independence Day, the capital'€™s residents were also attracted by the discounts available at many prominent shopping centers such as Grand Indonesia and Senayan City.

Known for their luxurious stores, these shopping centers offered discounts of up to 70 percent. Some offered unique discounts of 17 or 45 percent to mark the day.

'€œI waited for Independence Day because I knew there would be a lot of discounts on offer at the shopping malls,'€ said 21-year-old Denada Maurisia, adding that Independence Day discounts could be also found on online shops.

Meanwhile, amusement park Taman Impian Jaya Ancol (Ancol Dreamland) held a series of events in its theme parks to mark the Independence Day celebration, including the usual under-water flag ceremony at Seaworld.

Using particular equipment, Seaworld Ancol divers and national musician Chua of the band Kotak raised the flag and read the proclamation text, tribunnews.com reported.

Seaworld visitor Sigit Sugiarto, 35, said that the underwater flag ceremony was a much-anticipated moment.

'€œI hope that Indonesia gains its independence in every aspect, including in the economy. Hopefully our daily needs will be reachable and this nation will be freed from [foreign] debts,'€ said Sigit to tribunnews.com.

Taman Impian Jaya Ancol also celebrated Independence Day by spreading giant flags in its Ocean Dream Theater and holding a panjat 100 pohon pinang competition on Carnival beach. (agn)

Popular

The illusion of self-sufficiency

Indonesians oppose indirect regional polls

We can do better in 2026