Take a look at Jakarta. Skyscrapers? Check. Cafes? Check. Five-star hotels? Check. Universities? Check. Malls? Check. Museums? Check. Plazas? Check. Automobiles? Check. Â Luxurious goods? Check. Everything seems OK until the these appear on the list. Environmental friendliness? Cross. Proper waste management system? Cross. Effective drainage system? Cross. Social negligence? Check!! [caption id="attachment_269969" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Thamrin around 8 am after morning downpour, as seen from the air."][/caption]
"Enjoy Jakarta": Enjoy Poverty?
I'm not a frequent road user in Jakarta. I don't go out much in fear of having to deal with stressful traffic jams. But I always hear the Jakartan roads' notoriety during rush hours on Twitter. Twitter pals complain to no end about how messy and frustrating the traffic becomes. The reigning governor soon turns to be the target of public sarcastic criticism. But I'm not going to that. That's a sore subject. To me, Jakarta is a giant habitat of poverty.Those towering shopping malls, apartments, or skyscrapers may well conceal the magnitude. One, however, can still smell the fishy odor of poverty on just every corner of the city. You can easily find physically-disabled folks wandering around with shredded clothes on their torso. Seeing a mom with her baby begging for people's alms wouldn't strike my conscience as much as before. Everyone's getting used to it. It hurts but just like your skin, your heart will soon get calloused every time it's exposed to this horribly inhumane sceneries. Despite a huge amount of tourist attractions provided by the government, I think it won't hurt if I say the biggest potential Jakarta has as a big city is its poverty. That's why I can't agree more when someone 'exploits' poverty as the potential tourist attraction. That's what we've got here. Some say it's humiliating to expose poor urban people, but don't you think we'd better to deal with this hard cold fact and tackle this once and for all rather than make any possible efforts to hide it from the rest of the world? [caption id="attachment_269941" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Indonesian 'Oliver Twist' I just bumped into around Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Thamrin. "Wish me to get rich" is his touching, fervent hope that keeps resounding in my head."][/caption]
Poverty-free Day
And this just in. This wet morning I had a sudden urge to haste to the car-free day. Yes, I wouldn't miss it this time. This monthly agenda is definitely refreshing. No cars, well at least only few, were sighted on the specified road, Sudirman -Thamrin. So many Jakartans were going out, celebrating and reclaiming the clean air they're entitled to in the somewhat cloudy morning. I was strolling, exactly walking briskly, at my fullest speed. I was heading to Monas but as the time didn't permit I stopped and sat for a while enjoying the view around Bundaran Hotel Indonesia. After feeling enough sightseeing, I decided to get back. It'd be certainly not refreshing anymore to walk under the fierce 10 pm sunlight. Instead of getting more vitamin D, you'll get exposed to greater risk of skin cancer. I rushed and continued walking. There seemed too many positive auras around me. Several young men and women were flocking together, didn't mind people watching them dancing like a group of mental hospital patients. Kids and parents were cycling side by side. There was not any single person there I met was emitting negative aura, until I spotted a boy with his red t-shirt facing to the street. He leaned his body in such a way that made you think he was enjoying the view he saw. There was a fresh red scar on his face. But it wasn't the view that mattered to me, it was him, his being forlorn and neglected. At a glance I knew how he stared at the folks cycling with their fancy folded bicycles, observed how those people laughed and how their sweaty faces reflected their well-being. He hid his small frame between bushes and never took his eyes off the joyous crowd. For a moment, I slowed down my pace. I lingered, walking to and fro around the spot where he was standing like a statue. I made up my mind and tried to communicate with the miserable lad. I couldn't figure out a way to have a brief chat. And it was a divine coincidence that this morning I had some money with me. I poked his tiny left arm and handed it to him. He turned his head, quite responsive. I tried to collect my guts to look at his facial expression upon receiving my alms. The second he held the money, he showed me no grateful expression. He showed me nothing but only murmured with his chapped lips in a flat intonation, "Doain cepet kaya ya!" (freely translated into:"Wish (me) to get rich!" ). I was speechless. Really, what should I have said? It happened just like in a second and I couldn't figure out how to react to his blatant wish. I faked a smile, turned away and proceeded my stroll. And I tried to escape the crowd, not wanting them to see my tears. "Boy, you should never come to this earthly hell..."