[Kabar-indonesia] 5 Jakarta City News Reports: Sanyo Strike; Malls; First Busway transfer Station

[JoyoNews at aol.com]

Note: also see the previously sent: Jakarta street 
crime spreads despite police operation [+Gun stash] 

5 JP Jakarta News Reports:

- Sanyo dispute faces deadlock
- Jakarta malls 'the perfect hangout' 
- First busway transfer station opened
- City Council propose pay raise
- 'Not everyone is afraid of ondel-ondel'
The Jakarta Post
Friday, September 8, 2006

Sanyo dispute faces deadlock

BEKASI: A meeting of the workers and management of electronics company
PT Sanyo Indonesia and Bekasi Council on Thursday was canceled after
Sanyo's representative's failed to appear.

"The council dismissed the meeting because no one from management
showed up, only the lawyer ... The councillors said the meeting could
be unlawful," workers representative Gatot Subroto told
Tempointeraktif.com.

The company's factory workers have been on strike since Tuesday,
following the suspension of three of their colleagues, who ran the
workers union, after they organized a protest last April to demand a
raise.

Many of the workers, however, returned to work Thursday, particularly
those from the washing machine and refrigerator divisions. They said
management had threatened to withhold wages and report them to the
police. -- JP

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The Jakarta Post
Friday, September 8, 2006

Jakarta malls 'the perfect hangout' 

Anissa S. Febrina, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

What is it that people actually do when they head out for a day in the city's 
teeming malls?

If your immediate assumption is shell out some hard cash for a new all-that 
handbag or the latest gadget, then it may be time to get out of the house a bit 
more. 

For a recent survey shows that 93 percent of respondents here do not have 
shopping on their mind when they go to the mall. 

In fact, the ranks of the "recreational shopper" was the highest in the 
Asia-Pacific region -- where the average was 84 percent -- according to an 
ACNielsen 2005 online survey, presented at Thursday's Asian Shopping Center 
conference. 

For Indonesians, the tendency can be attributed to that deeply entrenched 
cultural trait of nongkrong, or hanging out and taking it easy. Individuals or 
groups can be spotted killing time over coffee and a cigarette on almost every 
city sidewalk. 

"If ACNielsen is right,...then traditional Asian (malls) models of selling 
merchandise may need realigning," property consultant Jones Lang LaSalle's Asia 
Pacific chief executive officer Peter Barge said. 

Jakarta malls are already tapping into consumer wants, and have allocated 
more space for cafes, food courts and entertainment attractions in the past six 
years. 

The proportion of mall space allocated for entertainment, food and beverage 
averages around 30 percent, while in some venues, like Cilandak Town Square, it 
is 40 percent. 

"This trend is likely to continue as F&B is an important feature for 
Indonesians," LaSalle country head Spencer Roberts added. 

The ongoing mixed-used project Grand Indonesia, for example, allocated two 
whole floors to satisfy the emerging consumer trend. 

Malaysian Association for Shopping and Highrise Complex Management president 
Joyce Yap recommended that mall managers create a sensorial experience and 
attractive food graphics for the comfort of recreational shoppers. 

"It is better to do away with the cheap food court ambience," she said. 

In Malaysia, sales of F&B ranked second (26 percent) in overall shopping 
center trades, just below revenue generated from the sale of fashion and 
accessories (42 percent). 

Indonesia is likely to have a higher number, but no accurate data is 
currently available. 

And Jakartans are likely to see more international franchise cafes and 
restaurants providing new in spots for them to while away their day. 

"The development of more shopping malls integrated with apartments, hotels 
and offices will demand such entertainment and leisure venues extend their 
operating hours," Barge said. 

-----------------------------------

The Jakarta Post
Friday, September 8, 2006

First busway transfer station opened

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Governor Sutiyoso opened Thursday the Harmoni Central Busway (HCB),
the transport system's first transfer station.

The new station will enable passengers to transfer between corridor I
(Blok M-Kota), II (Pulo Gadung-Harmoni) and III (Kalideres-Harmoni).

Sutiyoso said he hoped the Rp 51 billion station, which has six
automatic doors and can hold up to 600 people at one time, would help
serve customers better and reduce traffic.

The HCB (above) straddles the Ciliwung River in West Jakarta.
Construction began in August last year, but was delayed at one point
because of budget allocation problems.

"This is the biggest station we have. People shouldn't have to wait
any longer than 10 minutes between buses," Sutiyoso said in his
speech, which started about 15 minutes later than scheduled.

"In January we will be operating seven fully functioning corridors. By
the end of 2007 we plan to have 10 corridors," he told guests and the
media.

He said all the corridors would eventually be integrated into a united
city transportation scheme which would include monorail stations.

"Better to suffer (traffic congestion during construction) now and
reap the benefits later," he said, adding that he would also do his
best to make the busway safer.

He then rode the busway with his staff to Pulo Gadung station.

Muhammad Akbar, the traffic management unit head at the Jakarta
Transportation Agency, said no trees had been cut down for the
project. He added that a banyan tree on Jl. Hayam Wuruk next to the
HCM had caused them some problems, however.

"None of the workers were able to cut it down ... Some people believe
that it's possessed. We paved the ground around it with cement, but
somehow the tree managed to survive," he said.

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The Jakarta Post
Friday, September 8, 2006

Sanyo dispute faces deadlock

BEKASI: A meeting of the workers and management of electronics company
PT Sanyo Indonesia and Bekasi Council on Thursday was canceled after
Sanyo's representative's failed to appear.

"The council dismissed the meeting because no one from management
showed up, only the lawyer ... The councillors said the meeting could
be unlawful," workers representative Gatot Subroto told
Tempointeraktif.com.

The company's factory workers have been on strike since Tuesday,
following the suspension of three of their colleagues, who ran the
workers union, after they organized a protest last April to demand a
raise.

Many of the workers, however, returned to work Thursday, particularly
those from the washing machine and refrigerator divisions. They said
management had threatened to withhold wages and report them to the
police. -- JP

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The Jakarta Post
Friday, September 8, 2006

City Council propose pay raise

JAKARTA: City Council members are requesting a salary raise, the
Detik.com news portal reported Thursday.

"It's not an unreasonable proposal as the city's financial ability is
now improving," said Aliman Aat of the Democratic Party, who sits on
the council's Commission C on financial and budgetary affairs.

The proposal was made after it was announced that the city had already
outperformed its projected revenue for the year, Rp 17.997 trillion,
bringing in Rp 18.118 trillion by the middle of the year.

He said he guaranteed that the council members' performances would
improve with the raise, although he declined to say how much money
they had asked for.

Currently, a council member receives a monthly salary of Rp 5.5
million, along with a Rp 15 million housing allowance. -- JP

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The Jakarta Post
Friday, September 8, 2006
    
'Not everyone is afraid of ondel-ondel'

Ondel-ondel, the traditional Betawi figures that ward off bad luck and
are used in city celebrations, inspire mixed feelings in Jakarta's
residents. The governor recently described them as "ugly" and
suggested they needed an image change. The Jakarta Post asked people
how they felt about ondel-ondel.

Dana Purba, 20, is a multimedia artist. He lives with his parents in
Rawamangun, East Jakarta:

I think Sutiyoso is just depressed after realizing that next year he
will be no longer the governor of Jakarta.

He should not have said something like that. After all, he is Javanese
and it inappropriate for him to criticize somebody else's culture.

I appreciate ondel-ondel as part of the complete package of Betawi
culture, including parades and the gambang kromong musical groups. So
I guess they represent Betawi culture.

I can't think of any other icon that could so perfectly represent
Jakarta's indigenous culture. There's the National Monument and
ondel-ondel. That's all.

Fajar Ariyanto, 23, works at a private bank. He lives in Bendungan
Hilir, Central Jakarta:

The idea of restyling ondel-ondel is acceptable, as I would compare
them to puppets, which have been modified for modern cultures, adding
dangdut music or foreign languages to performances.

However, I don't appreciate Sutiyoso's comment about its appearance.
If I were a Betawi, I would be furious because it concerns my culture.

He should have said it based on a strong argument, not just made a
baseless statement. Not everybody is afraid of ondel-ondel.

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Joyo Indonesia News Service
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