T

aman Ismail Marzuki (TIM) located in Cikini, Central Jakarta, has long been a safe haven for artists and activists to express themselves.

Officially opened on Nov. 10, 1968, the arts and cultural center saw its heyday in the 1970s when Ali Sadikin governed the capital. Artists and activists alike saw TIM as an oasis to freely express themselves without worry of government intervention, control or restrictions.

However, growing conservatism among residents has set off alarm bells that there would be no such luxury.

In the last few months, the police have shut down five events representing freedom and diversity. Three of those events were held at TIM. Last November, the police decided not to give the go-ahead for a discussion on terrorism scheduled to be held by the Association of Journalists for Diversity (Sejuk) after the Islam Defenders Front (FPI) expressed its objection to the event'€™s poster, which depicted the Islamic State movement'€™s flag next to the FPI'€™s official logo.

A month later, the police canceled a discussion and the reading of a drama script about the 1965 communist purge after the FPI blocked the events, which they said '€œharmed nationalism'€.

More recently, Jakarta Police dispersed the Belok Kiri (Turn Left) Festival, an event to accommodate history enthusiasts, who wanted to share thoughts about leftist political history in Indonesia. The police prevented the festival from commencing after a group of people had showed objection to the event.

Jakarta Arts Council (DKJ) chairman Irawan Karseno said that the recent incidents at TIM had left artists disappointed. Irawan said that TIM had, for a long time, facilitated artists to freely express themselves and that the recent incidents posed a threat not only to artists, but also to the cultural center itself.

'€œIf the police and the government are limiting freedom of expression and freedom of assembly then we'€™re back to the New Order era. Currently, there is not much we can do, but we will try to discuss this matter with the relevant officials,'€ Irawan told The Jakarta Post recently.

He said that the DKJ were aiming to meet with Governor Basuki '€œAhok'€ Tjahaja Purnama, as well as Legal and Security Affairs Minister Luhut Pandjaitan and lawmakers to discuss the recent incidents at TIM, where they seek to plead with the government and the police not to limit artists'€™ freedom of expression and assembly.

Irawan, as TIM'€™s program curator and who has also previously served as an arts advisor to Jakarta'€™s governor, argued that DKJ is professional enough to determine the programs appropriate for TIM and that intervention by the government or the police, especially to cancel an event was unnecessary.

He went on to say that the police should secure TIM from protesters instead of closing down its events.

Separately, TIM'€™s management unit head Imam Hadipurnomo said that the management was responsible for administrative and financial matters within the cultural center. The management is under the Jakarta administration'€™s Tourism and Culture Agency, and consists of civil servants.

Previously, such matters were handled by artists.

Imam said that TIM'€™s management unit this year allocated Rp 23 billion (US$1.72 million) for operations, maintenance and salaries. The management unit this year is also set to conduct their own events in TIM, such as the first Jakarta Anniversary Festival and the annual celebrations to commemorate TIM'€™s establishment. The allocation was an increase from last year'€™s Rp 18 billion, he said.

Although TIM is administratively managed by civil servants, Imam assured that the city administration gave its full support to the artists.

'€œThe DKJ is still responsible for curating programs in TIM. Our job is only to issue permits and manage TIM'€™s operations. In no way do we intend to limit programs at TIM,'€ Imam told the Post over the phone.