DKI Pemprov Will Arrange Ondel-Ondel Singers

Illustration of an ondel-ondel busker (Instagram @firgint)

JAKARTA - The DKI Jakarta Provincial Government has agreed on a joint decision by a number of Betawi community organizations (mass organizations) to curb the ondel-ondel buskers who roam the streets.

There are a number of reasons for the Jakarta Provincial Government to curb the ondel-ondel buskers. They are considered to have violated Perda number 8 of 2007 concerning Public Order.

Article 39 states that every person or body is prohibited from requesting assistance or donations made individually and or collectively on roads, markets, public transportation, residential areas, hospitals, schools and offices.

Head of Satpol PP DKI, Arifin, stated that his party would take action and control groups that use ondel-ondel as a means of busking.

"If we find that ondel-ondel is used as a means of busking and it has disturbed public order, then we will direct it not to use the ondel-ondel as a tool for busking," said Arifin when contacted, Thursday, February 13 evening.

Even so, the DKI Provincial Government has not imposed any sanctions if ondel-ondel singers are still roaming the streets. These sanctions will be considered in the revision of Regional Regulation (Perda) Number 4 of 2015 concerning Preservation of Betawi Culture.

Furthermore, so that the ondel-ondel buskers will no longer take to the streets to earn income, the DKI Provincial Government will provide guidance. This guidance is carried out to maintain the spirit of ondel-ondel as an icon of Betawi culture.

The trick is to do data collection and inventory to find out how many Betawi art studios and ondel-ondel craftsmen are. Then, provide a place and facilitate the owners of the Betawi arts and culture studios, including the ondel-ondel craftsmen.

Then, the DKI Provincial Government will place ondel-ondel in ceremonial activities, festivals, Eid Betawi and other events in an effort to preserve Betawi culture.

"We don't want the ondel-ondel, which is a Betawi icon, to be demeaned, in the form of busking activities. We want to glorify Betawi culture with places prepared by the Culture Service," he said.

For information, the ondel-ondel singers group in Jakarta has become a prolonged anxiety. Since the era of the Governor of DKI led by Joko Widodo and his deputy, Basuki Tjahaja Purnama (Ahok), the existence of ondel-ondel singers has begun to be banned.

The reason is that the use of a Betawi cultural icon doll for busking is considered to be an embarrassment to the face of Jakarta. Mostly, a group of people with ondel-ondel attributes, song accompaniments, and money containers offered to the public do not pay attention to the characteristics of Betawi music and clothing.

So, at that time the DKI Provincial Government made Regional Regulation (Perda) Number 8 of 2007 concerning Public Order as an excuse to curb those who use ondel-ondel as a means of "begging".

However, this restlessness arose again in the leadership of DKI Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan. There are still street singers under the guise of ondel-ondel.

At the end of 2018, the Jakarta City Government Tourism and Culture Office planned to put ondel-ondel in order to make it more focused. For example, providing artistic skills on track so that they no longer sing on the street.

However, the discourse had long evaporated because the Perda on Public Order did not clearly regulate the prohibition of ondel-ondel buskers. Therefore, the Chairperson of Commission E DPRD DKI Iman Satria will propose a revision of Regional Regulation Number 4 of 2015 concerning Betawi Culture Preservation to the DKI Provincial Government. Later, in the revision, ondel-ondel cannot be used as busking.

"We already have the Perdanya. Later, one of the clauses is included that states that ondel-ondel cannot be used for singing events," said Iman to reporters, Tuesday, February 4.