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Unlike Jokowi, Ahok doesn't like festivals
Get the party started: Reog Ponorogo dancers show off their skills in front of City Hall during the Kampung Festival in June 2013, while ondel-ondel (traditional Betawi figures) mill about nearby
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Get the party started: Reog Ponorogo dancers show off their skills in front of City Hall during the Kampung Festival in June 2013, while ondel-ondel (traditional Betawi figures) mill about nearby. Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama has cut funding for 15 festivals from the 2016 draft city budget. (JP) (traditional Betawi figures) mill about nearby. Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama has cut funding for 15 festivals from the 2016 draft city budget. (JP)
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span class="inline inline-center">Get the party started: Reog Ponorogo dancers show off their skills in front of City Hall during the Kampung Festival in June 2013, while ondel-ondel (traditional Betawi figures) mill about nearby. Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama has cut funding for 15 festivals from the 2016 draft city budget. (JP)
Allocations in the draft 2016 Jakarta city budget show differences in the leaderships of Jakarta Governor Basuki 'Ahok' Tjahaja Purnama and his predecessor, Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo.
In 2014, then Jakarta governor Jokowi's city budget generously allocated funds for culture and tourism as part of efforts to promote tourism in the city, particularly through festivals. Ahok, meanwhile, has shown an opposing stance on festivals, deeming them a waste of taxpayers' money.
Culture and Tourism Agency head Purba Hutapea said that the city had decided to scrap plans to host 15 festivals next year.
Those festivals, according to Purba, would be replaced with tourism promotion through digital and social media.
As he deemed that festivals did not attract tourists to Jakarta, Ahok has significantly cut the budget for the Culture and Tourism Agency. Ahok has only allocated Rp 300 billion for the agency this year, compared to Jokowi's allocation of 1.2 trillion ( US $87.66 million) in 2014.
"In 2016, we plan to allocate Rp. 150 billion for the Culture and Tourism Agency. We will also allocate between Rp 9 billion and Rp 10 billion for each culture and tourism office [in five municipalities and the Thousand Islands regency],' said Ahok on Friday.
Among the festivals to be canceled are the Jakarta Carnival, Indonesia Dance Festival, Kota Tua Festival and Imlek Festival. The elimination of those festivals will reduce the agency's spending by Rp. 150 billion, according to Purba.
Purba, however, said that a number of festivals would run as usual next year, including those organized by culture and tourism office at the municipal level as part of efforts to preserve the Betawi culture.
Big festivals to go next year are the Abang-None Festival, Palang Pintu Festival to be organized by the South Jakarta municipal administration and Festival Pesisir (Coastal Festival) organized by the North Jakarta municipal administration. (bbn)
