“Muara Baru is actually extraordinary; it could be an attraction for the people. We are building the fish market [and will] keep it clean, so that everyone will love to visit Muara Baru,” Susi was quoted as saying by Kompas while attending the Muara Baru Festival hosted by the Indonesia Fishery Company.

Susi cited the Tsukiji Fish Market in Tokyo as a model for the Muara Baru Fish Market.

Tsukiji Fish Market, Susi said, was beautifully organized and attracted millions of visitors every year. The entrance fee to the fish market could contribute greatly to regional income, she said.

Susi expressed appreciation for the initiative in organizing the Muara Baru Festival but added that she expected more local residents to become involved in the future, because the festival only organized a cooking competition for cruise chefs.

“I saw many locals around. They should have been transported by bus, dressed up and joined competitions to make them cheerful. That’s what a festival should be like,” she said. “If it is only the cruise chefs who compete in the cooking competition, it is not fair. There are many stakeholders [to involve] here: the fish-selling ladies, the fisherwomen, mothers of Muara Baru,” she added.

Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan also visited the festival later in the afternoon and took a stroll around the area with Susi. (gis)

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