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.
Greening up Asian Games as energy of Asia
Despite the display of many banners, images and skyscrapers carrying the slogan, we hear no clear narrative about what Energy of Asia means.
Change Size
Asian Games countdown Decoration in Jalan M.H. thamrin, central Jakarta, Thursday, October 26, 2017. (JP/Seto Wardhana.)
W
hen Indonesia hosted the fourth edition of the Asian Games in 1962, president Sukarno used the opportunity as a coming-of-age moment for the young nation. The famous Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, Hotel Indonesia, Selamat Datang Monument, the Sarinah department store and Semanggi Interchange were built for the Games, and Indonesia was proud to point out that all the mega infrastructure — which is still functional and remains an integral part of the city — was built in only a short period of time.
When they were built, not only did they help transform the image of Jakarta from a big kampung to a cosmopolitan city, they also instilled a sense of pride among Jakartans and Indonesians.
The messages highlighted inwardly and outwardly to the world by Indonesia during the 1962 Games were loud and clear: Indonesia is a developing nation undergoing rapid modernization.
This year, Indonesia was again given the opportunity to host the Asian Games, this time with the slogan “Energy of Asia”. Despite the display of many banners, images and skyscrapers carrying the slogan, we hear no clear narrative about what Energy of Asia means.
