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| Bunderan HI Taken by : Jessica |
Jakarta as the capital city of Indonesia has an interesting
history. Many different aspects have colored the history of the city and the
lives of its people. Since the 5th century, ships from China and Champa
(Vietnam), they docked in Ciliwung River estuary. Indian traders and Portuguese
also came to this small town. Sailors from Java, bringing spices from the
Moluccas, also anchored here. Almost everyone from the East and West left their
mark to blend in Jakarta. Centuries later, the port of Jakarta grew into a
bustling center of international trade. Between the 17th century and early 18th
century, a ship could sail further up the river Ciliwung.
Jakarta’s recorded history dates from about 400 AD when it
was a Hindu port settlement called Sunda Pura (Holy Town), under the ancient
Indianized kingdom of Tarumanagara. By 700 AD it had become part of the vast
Hindu Sunda Kingdom. In the 12th century, the area was known as Sunda Kelapa
and served as Java’s main harbor for Asian and Middle Eastern traders. The
Portuguese arrived in 1512 and a decade later reached a trading deal with the
Sunda Kingdom to provide military assistance against the threat of Islamic
Javanese. On June 22, 1527, Muslim leader Fatahillah conquered the area and
renamed it Djaja Karta, signifying his “glorious victory” over the Portuguese
colonists and the Sundanese Hindus – most of whom were massacred. June 22 is
now celebrated as Jakarta’s anniversary.
The Dutch seized power in 1619 by destroying Djaja Karta,
which was rebuilt and renamed Batavia, becoming the centre of political and
economic activity. The city grew, with neighborhoods of Chinese, Indian Muslims
and ethnic groups from throughout the archipelago. In 1699, much of Batavia was
devastated by an earthquake. In 1740, simmering Chinese resentment against
discriminatory Dutch policies prompted a rebellion. The Dutch responded by
massacring most of the approximately 11,000 Chinese residents. This ethnic
cleansing of the city’s mercantile class caused a recession, overcome only when
more Chinese came to make money. By the early 1800s, the so-called “Queen of
the East” had become polluted, overcrowded and disease-ridden, prompting its
administrators and many wealthier residents to move south.
In March 1942, the Dutch surrendered to the Japanese wartime
occupation forces and the city was renamed Jakarta Tokubetsu Shi (Special
Municipality of Jakarta). When Japan surrendered to the Allied forces in August
1945, Jakarta was to have become the new nation’s capital. But the Dutch
occupied the city and refused to recognize Indonesian independence, so the
capital was temporarily Yogyakarta, until the Dutch formally transferred
sovereignty in December 1949 after four years of fighting.
The departure of the Dutch led to massive rural migration
into Jakarta, which was seen as the center of economic opportunities. Founding
president Sukarno ordered the construction of numerous statues and monuments,
as well as hotels and other prestigious projects. The city’s slums spread as
the nation shuddered toward near economic collapse in the early 1960s. After
Sukarno was replaced by General Suharto in 1966, Jakarta had a new governor,
Ali Sadikin, who in 11 years cleaned up much of the city, bulldozing slums,
banning pedicabs, and improving public services and infrastructure. His
projects were partly funded by legalized gambling – a policy later overturned
by Islamic politicians.
In May 1998, Jakarta suffered three days of riots that left over 1,000 people dead and forced Suharto from power. The city was beset by a recession but has since rebounded with massive development and economic growth. Jakarta’s biggest challenges include traffic congestion, pollution and annual flooding.
