Every Friday, scenes of merriment take place in the lobby at City Hall in Central Jakarta.
Jakarta civil servants walk around, with smiles across their faces. They wear traditional clothes of Betawi — a deviation of the word Batavia, Jakarta’s colonial name.
Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo issued a decree in December last year for city employees to wear Betawi attire as part of an effort to create a distinct identity and preserve local culture.
The men wear long-sleeved shirts (sadariah), a black velvet cap, or kopiah, and sarongs around their necks, while the women wear traditional blouses (kebaya), batik sarongs and loafers.
Betawi designer Emma Amalia Agus Bisri told the Jakarta Globe that she has been waiting her entire life to see a shift in attire happen.
“I support the governor’s plan to promote Betawi culture by issuing a regulation about the Betawi uniform,” she said at her traditional boutique in Panglima Polim, South Jakarta.
“If [the civil servants] in Solo can appreciate their traditional attire, why can’t we do the same in Jakarta?”
Joko introduced a similar mandate in Solo, Central Java, when he was a mayor before being elected as the capital’s city number one man. The policy required civil servants in Solo to wear Javanese clothing every Thursday.
Since he took office in October of last year, the governor is still struggling to overcome the capital’s most burdening problems — alleviating traffic and getting rid of the floods — but Emma sees a success story.
“Maybe in this area [preserving local culture], Pak Jokowi is only seen successful. He introduced a policy that can be implemented straight away. I’m happy,” she said, referring to the governor by his nickname.
Emma, 69, has the right to be pleased. Born in a respected Betawi family, she was introduced to local culture at early age. Her youth was occupied with dance recitals, theater performances and art exhibitions.
She helped found the Betawi Cultural Council in 1976. In 1982, she was voted as the first woman to head the Betawi Community Consultative Body (Bamus Betawi). And she founded Betawi Women’s Association in 1984.
Joko announced the Betawi attire requirement after asking Emma to exhibit possible designs for the uniforms.
“I presented seven designs each for men and women,” she said.
Joko decided to use all 14 designs and implemented the policy right away.
The uniforms accommodate Islamic male civil servants in performing Friday prayers, where they usually wear sarong and kopiah — attire similar to the Betawi outfit.
Betawi men wear Arab-influenced sadariah in casual situations and when performing prayers in the mosque. Jauhari S.R., a non-Muslim civil servant with the capital administration, said the religious element of the uniforms does not bother him.
“Although the costume is identical to that of a particular religion, I don’t have any problem wearing it,” he said.
“The male costume is very simple. Just put on the sadariah shirt, a kopiah and drape sarong around your neck. I’m glad to be a part to introduce the Betawi culture.”
But this enthusiasm is not shared among the women.
Dina Hapsari, not her real name, takes out a kebaya from her backpack in a bathroom at City Hall. She changes from her normal clothes into her kebaya before stepping into her office.
“I take the train to work. I’m a bit embarrassed having to wear a kebaya on my commute,” she said. “People on public transportation give you weird looks when you get onboard [wearing traditional clothes].
“It’s hot wearing kebaya, especially when you’re out in the field. And it’s difficult to walk around with sarongs.”
Women’s Betawi attire consists of kebaya encim, batik sarongs and selendang, or shawls. Traditional female clothes reflect Chinese influence, hence the name “encim.”
However Ied Sabilla, from the city’s publication department, said that unlike Dina, wearing a Betawi costume once a week does not bother her.
“No problem. It gives Jakarta civil servants a good characteristic,” she said. “Although at first, it was troublesome to put on kebaya in the morning. But it’s fine now.”
Emma had foreseen the trouble prior to presenting the uniform designs to the governor.
“The uniform designs that I made won’t burden the employees. I have thought it through,” she explained.
“One or two people will still consider wearing kebaya encim a difficulty. But over time, people will see this as an attempt to love our own culture.”
As for the batik sarong, Emma said, Betawi women prefer the pucuk rebung design — a motif that is influenced by rebung, or bamboo shoots.
“Each accessory of Betawi attire has a philosophy behind it. Pucuk rebung, for instance, is worn to guard the wearer, as a protection from bad things,” she said referring to the sharp shape of bamboo shoots.
Ied does not think it is too cumbersome, although she had to spend her own money for the uniforms as the office does not allocate a budget for new uniforms.
“Since Pak Jokowi took office, the media has reported his every word. And since the new uniform policy was introduced, the markets have shown good reactions. The sellers at Tanah Abang market and ITC responded positively,” she said.
“For one kebaya encim, it is priced at around Rp 140,000 [$14]. Sarongs are Rp 65,000 to Rp 70,000,” she added. Jauhari said that he spent around Rp 90,000 to Rp 150,000 for one sadariah shirt.
Ied said over time she has learned to ignore people’s jeering perception of Betawi attire, which some consider inappropriate to be worn in the workplace.
Emma, meanwhile, is optimistic that Joko’s plan will be consistent throughout his tenure. She referred to Bali’s strong local culture as a role model.
“Bali remains foreign tourists’ most favorite place to visit in the country. Why? Because its local culture thrives there. And Jakarta is heading toward that direction,” she explained.
She even supported a proposal to make Jakarta students follow suit.
“Not only should school students have to wear the traditional clothes, Betawi subjects should be incorporated into school curriculum so they can learn more about the city’s arts, literature and culinary scenes,” she said enthusiastically.
Sebelumnya diterbitkan di harian The Jakarta Globe
Teks dan foto oleh: Bang Qowi
Model: Bang Devby dan Non Lucy
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