Kenneth DPRD DKI: Jakarta Provincial Government Must Pay Attention To The Welfare Of The Betawi Studio

Member of the DKI Jakarta DPRD from the PDI-P (PDIP) faction, Hardiyanto Kenneth. (doc the DKI DPRD)

JAKARTA - The ondel-ondel singer, with a running ondel-ondel capital and small carts equipped with old audio devices with Betawi song melodies, while the players wearing black t-shirts and pants plus red tips, further strengthens their appearance as 'Betawi people'.

Usually, ondel-ondel buskers are played by three people to one family, some become ondel-ondel, encourage carts to bring used cans to hold down change or sheet money. Jakarta, not the only city where this kind of busker exists. A number of suburban cities in Jakarta such as Bekasi, Depok, Tangerang, South Tangerang (Tangsel) are also rife.

Ondel-ondel is known to be one of the cultural icons for the Betawi people which has been stipulated in the Regulation of the Governor of DKI Jakarta Province Number 11 of 2017. The rules regarding ondel-ondel were directly stipulated by the implementing officials of the Governor of DKI Jakarta in 2017.

The regulation also provides criteria for using ondel-ondel as one of the cultural icons of the Betawi people. The determination of the Betawi Cultural Icon as intended is an effort to preserve through introduction that illustrates the characteristics of the Betawi people and the identity of the DKI Jakarta Province as a tourist attraction.

The purpose of determining the Betawi cultural icon is to increase the sense of belonging to and instilling pride in Betawi culture actively in the daily lives of the community, business actors and the government; and as a means of promoting tourism and encouraging the development of the culture-based creative industry.

On this basis, a member of the DKI Jakarta DPRD from the PDI-P (PDIP) faction, Hardiyanto Kenneth, asked the DKI Jakarta Provincial Government to control buskers using Betawi traditional arts, ondel-ondel, this was done in order to maintain the complaints of Betawi culture.

"National culture, including Betawi art such as ondel-ondel, must be placed in a good place. The DKI Provincial Government as the sole person in charge of government administration in the regions, in organizing regional autonomy has an obligation to preserve and protect the socio-cultural values of its people and can form and implement laws and regulations in accordance with their authority. But over time there has been a shift in the ondel-ondel function used to earn money by busking," said Kenneth in his statement, Saturday, August 31.

Currently, continued the man who is familiarly called Bang Kent, the use of ondel-ondel as a tool for busking is a problem in itself because ondel-ondel as a culture is intended not to be like what is currently often found in the streets. This is not in accordance with Article 11 of Regional Regulation Number 4 of 2015 concerning the Preservation of Betawi Culture. One of the verses reads, "Utilizing public spaces, hotels, shopping areas, government offices, government buildings, school buildings and mass media as an effort to preserve Betawi arts.

As stipulated in the Regulation of the Governor of DKI Jakarta Province Number 11 of 2017, the Function of Use and Placement of Ondel-Ondel: 1. As a complement to various traditional traditional ceremonies of the Betawi people. 2. As decorations at the ceremonial events of the DKI Jakarta Provincial Government, festivals, performances of foreign artists, exhibitions, shopping centers, Tourism Industry, meeting buildings and public areas that allow from the aesthetic and public safety aspects. 3. Placement on the left side of the entrance door, in the lobby as a complement to the photo (photo wall), on the stage of performance or in the form of visuals at LED/Videotron, or elsewhere according to the aesthetics

"The Regional Government as the owner of traditional culture has obligations in the context of maintaining and managing this culture, including the obligation to carry out cultural inventory, safeguarding and maintaining culture from all forms of violations or utilizing traditional culture without legal rights," he continued.

In addition, said Kent, the DKI Jakarta Regional Government must also care about the traditional Betawi studios so that there can be active cooperation with the DKI Jakarta Culture and Tourism Office as well as malls in Jakarta to hold ondel-ondel performances as a form of concern, and the responsibility of the DKI Jakarta Provincial Government in dealing with ondel-ondel busking problems as well as ondel-ondel preservation in Jakarta.

"In principle, the ondel-ondel art must begin to be trained, starting from the Betawi studios. The DKI Jakarta Culture and Tourism Office must be observant and sensitive, it must be more serious in thinking about Jakarta culture, the preservation of Betawi culture must really be a concern, as an example like in Bali. Ondel-ondel should be displayed in every office building and mall, so that Jakarta residents will not forget about this ondel-ondel art," said Kent.

According to the Chairman of the IKAL (Lemhannas RI Alumni Family Association) PPRA of the LXII Force, the DKI Provincial Government must routinely make Betawi cultural performance activities as a manifestation of Jakarta becoming a City of Collaboration where the government, private sector, and ondel-ondel studios jointly preserve the culture in Jakarta.

"This activity can be a means of proof for the private sector, especially shopping centers that have fully committed to supporting DKI Jakarta Regional Regulation (Perda) Number 4 of 2015 concerning the Preservation of Betawi Culture more specifically in Article 4 paragraph 2 points b to d which explains organizing the Preservation of Betawi Culture according to the norms, standards, procedures, and criteria set by the Government; conducting cooperation between regions, partnerships, and networks in the Preservation of Betawi Culture; carrying out coaching and supervision of the implementation of Betawi Cultural Preservation activities," he said.

This, continued Kent, is a manifestation in the implementation of the law which provides legal certainty to ondel-ondel cultural actors in DKI Jakarta Province by providing legal protection.

This activity is also a protection given to ondel-ondel as the Betawi Cultural Icon in accordance with Article 1 Paragraph 2 point a of the Regulation of the Governor of DKI Jakarta Province Number 11 of 2017. As part of the Betawi Cultural Icon, it sets an effort to preserve through an introduction that describes the characteristics of the Betawi community and the identity of DKI Jakarta Province as a tourist attraction.

"In this case, the Regional Government through the DKI Jakarta Culture Service must carry out its duties, namely carrying out legal protection preventively against one of the Traditional Cultural Expressions, namely Ondel-Ondel, the protection carried out is a form of preventive legal protection because it is preventive and maintains irregularities, the efforts that can be made by the DKI Jakarta Culture Office are to make an inventory, and ondel-ondel coaching by holding workshops and holding ondel-ondel performances in public spaces," said Kent.

In the Regulation of the Governor of DKI Jakarta Province Number 11 of 2017, ondel-ondel is one of the cultural icons for the Betawi people. The Betawi Cultural Icon as referred to consists of Ondel-ondel; Coconut Flower; Balang Gigi Ornament; Administrative Clothing; Design Kebaya; Betawi Batik; Telor Kerak; and Pletok Beer.