TheJakartaPost

Please Update your browser

Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.

Jakarta Post

City prepares for modest Idul Fitri

In an attempt to maintain security and public order and to dissuade revellers from celebrating on the streets, the Jakarta administration plans to hold takbiran (eve of Idul Fitri) events in five municipalities in the capital

Callistasia Anggun Wijaya (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Wed, June 13, 2018

Share This Article

Change Size

City prepares for modest Idul Fitri

I

n an attempt to maintain security and public order and to dissuade revellers from celebrating on the streets, the Jakarta administration plans to hold takbiran (eve of Idul Fitri) events in five municipalities in the capital.

The events will be conducted in mosques and surrounding areas, so that residents will not join convoys and cause traffic jams or public disturbances on streets, Jakarta Deputy Governor Sandiaga Uno said.

Takbiran is a popular tradition in the country when Muslims parade around the streets chanting praises to God on the night before Idul Fitri. The participants often set off fireworks to enliven the celebrations.

The activity has been banned since the administration of then-Jakarta-governor Fauzi Bowo but many people continue to uphold the tradition.

As a result, takbiran often causes traffic congestion on major thoroughfares in the capital. Last year, a brawl broke out during a convoy in Kemayoran, Central Jakarta.

To encourage residents to hold takbiran in a modest fashion within their neighborhoods, the city administration has decided to hold takbiran events in the five municipalities.

In Central Jakarta, the events will be centered along Jl. KH Mas Mansyur, Tanah Abang, and Jami Al Islam mosque in Petamburan, while in South Jakarta takbiran festivities will be held in the court of the South Jakarta mayor’s office on Jl. Prapanca Raya. Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan is set to visit the three locations.

Meanwhile, Sandiaga is set to visit the takbiran in Jami At-Taqwa mosque on Jl. Pisangan Baru Timur, Matraman, East Jakarta and Al Hidayah Mosque in Tanjung Priok, North Jakarta.

Anies and Sandiaga will later meet in West Jakarta where the takbiran will be staged in an area next to the West Jakarta mayor’s office and Tambora low-cost apartments.

“We will make sure there will not be any convoys disrupting public order during the events [in the five municipalities],” Sandiaga said.

Should there be any groups that want to parade on streets, they will need to notify the Jakarta Transportation Agency and Public Order Agency (Satpol PP) beforehand. The convoys should be escorted by officials from these agencies, he added.

Jakarta Satpol PP head Yani Wahyu said the agency would make sure that the takbiran events would be conducted in the designated places.

Yani added that officers would conduct patrols to monitor the events to make sure no misbehavior occurred.

Previously, the Kuningan - Mampang underpass in South Jakarta was reportedly vandalized by two youngsters taking part in a so-called sahur (pre-dawn meal during Ramadhan) on the road (SOTR) convoy.

Another underpass in Matraman, East Jakarta, was also vandalized by young people in early May.

“We will patrol to monitor the underpasses, toll roads, non-toll roads and other places,” Yani said.

Meanwhile, Sandiaga has also announced that there will be no open house at City Hall on Idul Fitri as civil servants should be allowed to enjoy their holiday without having to go to the office.

“We want agency heads who have planned vacations to enjoy their holidays. They are not required [to come to work]. We don’t want the event to be a mere formality,” Sandiaga said.

The open house is usually held by the Jakarta governor to gather with civil servants and residents while enjoying meals together.

Former Jakarta governors such as Djarot Saiful Hidayat, Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and Fauzi Bowo held open houses at City Hall on the first day of Idul Fitri every year.

Sandiaga said he would instead hold a gathering with civil servants after the holiday period ended on June 21.

{

Your Opinion Matters

Share your experiences, suggestions, and any issues you've encountered on The Jakarta Post. We're here to listen.

Enter at least 30 characters
0 / 30

Thank You

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We appreciate your feedback.