Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan Drops Road Name Change Plan
2 February 2018 11:16 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan finally decided to stop his plan to change the name of Jalan Mampang Raya and Jalan Buncit Raya to A.H. Nasution. This was done in response to mass rejection from members of the public.
His instruction was revealed in a letter of notification from the Mampang Prapatan Subdistrict office dated January 29, 2018. The letter contained the instructions on the government’s intent to study the possibility of a name change of the two roads into Sr. Gen. A.H. Nasution street.
“The process is canceled completely,” said Anies yesterday, Feb. 1.
Read: Anies Baswedan Faces Refusal over Plan to Change Street Name
Two days prior, Anies said that he was still considering the name-change. He argued that A.H. Nasution is a national hero that has not been immortalized into a road or street name in Jakarta.
The South Jakarta Mayor Tri Kurniadi asserted that the name-change suggestion was still being studied. The regional government must conduct a socialization to know how the plan would be perceived by the public before executing the plan, he added.
His statement was immediately met with refusals from the Betawi Kita community that considers the name ‘Buncit’ and ‘Mampang’ to be representative of the Betawi identity. Several Betawi communities have reportedly signed a petition to reject the government’s attempt to change the road’s name.
Historian JJ Rizal was also one of the people who rejected the idea of totally changing a road or street’s well-known name. “It’s ironic that the Betawi community, as stated in [Anies Baswedan’s] campaign promise would be elevated and celebrated, but is actually being treated otherwise,” he said.
IRSYAN HASYIM | ROSSENO AJI NUGROHO | FADIYAH
