Jalan Jaksa Under Threat
Mar 28th, 2008, in Society, by RossRoss fears that Jalan Jaksa in Jakarta is going to suffer re-development.
Jalan Jaksa at Risk?
Last month I had a chat with an expat on Jalan Jaksa who told me he’d seen plans to develop the famous little street, including a huge hypermarket on its corner with Jalan Wahid Hasyim.
I should state at this point that the talk occurred during my once-a-week afternoon visit, when – contrary to wishful thinking among hostiles – I have three or four beers and head for home before nightfall. So it was a clear-headed chat, not one of those rambling discourses that ensue as the night rolls towards chucking-out time.
Jalan Jaksa.
Has anyone else heard of this proposed development?
It would change the character of Jaksa, which is one of the few places in town where non-rich bules can enjoy a beer at a reasonable price. A Carrefour-type emporium would have a knock-on effect, bring in glossy catering outlets and quite possibly squeeze the little cafes out of business. Even now, there is a quite posh hotel under construction at the far end. Doesn’t Jakarta have enough such plush institutions- let’s leave Jaksa for the back-packing kids to save their pennies at.
I have to admit a certain fondness for the street. On my first night in Jakarta, quite a number of years ago, I was dropped there by a taxi-driver to whom I’d managed to communicate my need for cheap accommodation. As I was about to enter the Hotel Jhody, – a snip at Rp 40,000 per night – a small man rushed up and warned me not to waste my money.
“My place very good, only Rp 20,000, free coffee in the morning!”
Too weary from a twenty-hour plus flight to argue, I accepted this gracious offer, and ultimately found myself in a room with a grotty mattress on the floor, a broken window and a fan whose power was waning even as I switched it on. I also of course had to figure out how to use a kamar mandi (Indonesian bathroom). Not a great start, nor did the free coffee materialise the next day!
However, I followed my nose and discovered the Hotel Tator, not five-star (Rp 45,000 per night) but clean, and a real bed, and honest, helpful staff. Although too timid to venture far, Jaksa became my home for just over three weeks, till I got more permanent accommodation.
During those twenty four days, I didn’t have a TV in my room, but hardly needed it. The pavements beyond the Tator, and the establishments which crowded along them, afforded me not only visual entertainment but also useful insights into what lay in store for a “new kid on the block”.
Thus, while aware that time does not stand still, with new joints opening up and others undergoing regular re-incarnations in new guises, I’d be sad to see Jalan Jaksa transformed into a glitzy, upmarket shopping centre.
It has been said, by back-packers passing through, that the milieu there evokes images of Mel Gibson’s movie, “The Year of Living Dangerously”. I’m not sure if that is an accurate impression, for I was elsewhere in 1965, but Jaksa IS different. Can an “atmospheric preservation order” be enacted as one of SBY’s lasting legacies?
148 Comments on “Jalan Jaksa Under Threat”
-
MbakAditya says:
Well I must say, I think that you are all being rather nasty to Ross and he creations. We bought a set years ago, I’m sure Ross will remember, and every time my husband works on the car he uses them as axle stands. The paperbacks did OK, but we forgot and left them out in the rain and they remainded a palpy mush even after we dried them out, which we assume was something to do with the subject matter. The hardbacks however provide sterling service.
Now back to the ever lasting never ending discussion about the word “bule” :- Achmed hits the nail on the head
most people are ignorant of the language
and this is confirmed by treesquaters comment
Rob, and Achmad the linguistic history aside, i have not yet come across any single trustworthy reference that could positively identify the word BULE to refer specifically and exclusively to skin colour (I will be happy to learn more, do share your sources here
, how on earth could you come to that conclusion? have you ever met an Indonesian bule? I can assure you they do exist, moreover do you own a dictionary of any note? ( and I don’t mean “Kawruh basa Jawa pepak” ( Red Hot Chili Peppers sung about it for some reason http://www.soundflavor.com/track.php?trackId=4876759)) .
I think we can forgive the unaducated tukang minta-minta for using the word bule, but only once, rich chinese have no excuse to use the word, though in this case prosperity is not necessarily a drinking partner with education and “kesadaran”. On the whole, or in some cases on the hole, the word is only used by herberts who at best have to jongkok on the seat at MacDonalds.
Now to this Insultathon thingy, can my husband join? he won the last one against Achmed, no contest , two falls followed by one submission.
Now Dilli, it isn’t difficult to work out who Achmed really is.
-
Khao San Road in Bangkok, Bencoolen St. in Singapore and now Jalan Jaksa?
If the local entrepreneurs aren’t forcibly moved on and get their fair slice of the pie, then so what? Jaksa has gone through innumerable changes, with constantly changing favourite eateries and watering holes, much as Blok M and Kemang have done.
Why this thread should take the moralistic high road, I don’t know, but then this small rat run of a road is no longer a backpacker’s bolthole. Our Kid and I, on our rare forays to Ya ‘Udah, tend to play ‘Spot The Tourist’, scoring points for each westerner wearing shorts and an undervest. Some days, our score sheets are clean ~ we haven’t even spotted a Ross.
Where future travellers through Jakarta will stay, I wouldn’t know. I suspect that they’ll consult their Lonely Planet webpages, find a cheapish hotel in Tanah Abang and go their lonely way.
As will we all.
-
There are Ross’ lurking in the most unlikely places! I suspect there will be one on Khao San Road on Tuesday night…
-
Ross says:
Okay, Achmad. If you are busy, I’m sure our fans can wait. How about re-scheduling till June, when I have lots of free time -hopefully. Or Empire Day, 24th May, if you are ready by then. A fine way to celebrate.
As to other comments above, their reliability may be tested against the fact that I don’t publish in hard-back. -
I don’t publish in hard-back.
We had them specially bound. The reliablity of the rest of my statements however is not in doubt, namely that you write a load of boring crap, and the only person who shows any interest in your ramblings is old noodle dick Himawan Susastra.
And what a load of old cobblers this is ….
Just to get back onto the proper topic, unfortunately, Ross has hit the hammer on the head with this one. Jl. Jaksa, ‘specially Ya Udah, is a unique place, frequented by crusty old-timer Bules, um, Londos, Um, Orang Barat, um Westerners, and funky Indonesian bohemians alike.
You mean of course a load of unwashed drop-out kiddy fiddlers?
Still when they come to knock the place down it will be easy to evacuate the inhabitants; just through a bar of soap in there.
I’d have some tofu chunks with that too.
I don’t know about pencak silat, silet asu possibly.
-
Sorry one and all!
Back to the slightly off topic here…
I saw on the tele earlier today that “Bule Gila” is back on the tele from Monday night (19.00 cannot remember which station)…obviously someone must be watching if they are doing another series of it!
The show only works if the “bule gila” participate…so, I guess this is a case of the ‘bules’ taking back the word as a means of empowering themselves, right?
Cheers
-
Achmad Sudarsono says:
@ Mbak Aditya,
It’s Ach-mad, as in crazy, insane, loco, baby.
And I don’t think your husband won anything except, apparently your hand in marriage. I can’t even remember who he is/was/hopes to be.
@ Ross, yes, thanks June would be good. Let’s talk in 6 weeks.
-
Oh, not “med”, as in requiring medication?
-
@ MbakAditya,
Could well be, but not in the name. Always good to get in a stab at people who are unwell. Good one. Good taste.
-
Achmad Sudarsono Says:
April 6th, 2008 at 9:42 pm
@ MbakAditya,Could well be, but not in the name. Always good to get in a stab at people who are unwell. Good one. Good taste.
Ah sori sayang, breaks my heart, go to the hospital and get a sifat transplant.
Achmad Sudarsono Says:
April 1st, 2008 at 5:31 pm
@ Rima “” that’s really “below the belt” as they say in the West. “Us locals are a bit daft,” now you’re implying some sort of racist motive on my part. (Even though I am a pencak silat instructor from Purbolinggo).@ Farah, same thing, “those incompetent locals.”
Both of you are now resorting to innuendo and name-calling (something I normally do), to avoid the main topic.
It’s something George Orwell, Ayu Utami and Goenawan Mohammad have written about: the power of words and names.
Names, words, language have a power of their own.
So, yes, a 4th reminder:
Bule refers to race.
1) Bule doesn’t refer to race it refers to skin colour or more correctly the lack of it.
2) ” as they say in the West”, no Achmad, no, as WE say in the west.
3) “now you’re implying some sort of racist motive on my part” – oh yes, without a doubt. -
Janma says:
1) Bule doesn’t refer to race it refers to skin colour or more correctly the lack of it.
That’s gotta be one of the dumbest things I’ve read this morning!
-
Janma Says:
April 7th, 2008 at 10:38 am
1) Bule doesn’t refer to race it refers to skin colour or more correctly the lack of it.That’s gotta be one of the dumbest things I’ve read this morning!
Actually I’m surprised you can read.
Would you care to give me a proper translation of the word then?
http://www.websters-dictionary-online.org/translation/indonesian/bule
I could go on a quote a number of these, but I think you have rather proven your own point.
Assuming you are Indonesian – back to SD for you, if you are in fact a foreigner, better you learn the language a bit.
As I said, and you would have noted if your head wasn’t so full of fluff, you will find Indonesian Bules too. -
I think you’ll have a hard time separating skin color and race hon.
-
There are some african american people who are mixed and as a result can ‘pass for white’, which is same thing as saying that someone of one race, can almost pass for someone from another race….. so which part of that doesn’t refer to race?
-
dewaratugedeanom says:
I think this whole insult duel was an April Fools joke. Although…
-
Janma Says:
April 7th, 2008 at 1:22 pm
I think you’ll have a hard time separating skin color and race hon.Janma Says:
April 7th, 2008 at 1:25 pm
There are some african american people who are mixed and as a result can ‘pass for white’, which is same thing as saying that someone of one race, can almost pass for someone from another race”¦.. so which part of that doesn’t refer to race?Whilst the term has morphed itself from meaning one thing to now meaning something quite different, let us not forget what the meaning actually is- unfortunately you did.
Are you Indonesian Janma?
-
Achmad said
If you don’t mind being called “Si Coklat” (if you are coklat), no problem. But words matter to some people, ya ‘cok ?
Funny that the same word like cok can have a totally different meaning even in the same country, depending on the location where the term is used.
In Bali, if you call someone Cok, he/she would be highly flattered because it is the highest title a person born in the Ksatrya caste can bear. It is the abbreviation of Cokorda which in itself is a contraction of Cokor Dewa meaning ‘Divine Foot’. The underlying meaning is that ordinary people are considered as worms crawling in the dust, just good enough to look up to the feet of their master, lucky not to be trampled.
So, what is an insult for one may be a compliment for the other. If we search hard enough maybe we find a meaning for bule in some exotic language that does full justice to the subject, making everybody happy.
-
It’s because Bahasa Indonesia and Bahasa Bali are different languages.
-
What does it matter where I come from? i followed your link and yes it says that the word ‘bule’ means ‘albino’ or ‘white person’ we all know now that the word is mostly used for white people on account of their having white skin. Same as Nigger comes from Nigre meaning black….. now let me say this slowly smarty pants……
terms like ‘white people’ and ‘black people’ do refer the color of the skin. They also denote race of the said person. Since the color of the skin among people of different races are different colors hence the connection to issues of race…..
Bule refers to someone of the white skin race. if someone says your hair or skin is ‘bule like’ even though you are indonesian, they are making a comment that although you are of one race, you look like another…..
am i getting anywhere sweetness? -
Achmad Sudarsono Says:
April 8th, 2008 at 8:55 am
It’s because Bahasa Indonesia and Bahasa Bali are different languages.Sharp as a knife.
Bule refers to someone of the white skin race. if someone says your hair or skin is ‘bule like’ even though you are indonesian, they are making a comment that although you are of one race, you look like another”¦..
am i getting anywhere sweetness?NO NO NO, bule in the first instance refers to an albino, which just happens to be sort of the same colour as a white guy (though most Scottish are blue) , Negro is more precise, I suspect most Indonesians would resent being called a Negro, though the skin colour is the same, the term now belongs to a race rather than a skin tone, thus because the term when contracted to nigger is considered impolite, we may conclude that the term nigger is therefore racist.
Bule however is just too generic in principal to be racist, but depending on the manner of usage, the term may well be offensive.In Thailand the term Falang/Farang is used , and they will maintain that it refers to a frenchman and is therefore not rude, however the term actually refers to “ferengi” which you can look up yourself and is actually not very nice. Even “Kek” (Indians) in thailand refer to white foreigners as farang and they should know better as the term is derived from I think Parsi.
May we conclude that if the user doesn’t mean offense then we really should take offense, but gently remind the user that there are actually more polite terms of address that can be used ?
-
timdog says:
MbakAditya – this argument is very silly, but one more time, if you are Indonesian, then you are not the one to decide if bule is an offensive word or not – it is for the people on the recieving end (incidentally, I’m on the receiving end; I don’t get offended, though I recognise that it is a word with inherently offensive potential).
All of the arguments you are making could just as easily have been made by a white user of the word “nigger” half a century ago.You said:
Bule however is just too generic in principal to be racist [compared to “nigger”]This is absurd given that the term nigger has been variously applied to most of the inhabitants of the entire continent of Africa, their desendents in various other parts of the world, and was also often used by the British when talking of their subjects in India and Southeast Asia, and even their adversaries in Afghanistan (who were scarcely “blacker” than they were)… When it comes to genericism, nigger far outstrips bule, but I doubt anyone would seriously try to argue that it’s not a racist word…
Falang comes from Ferighi which comes from “Frank” – namely the tribes of the area now comprising France. The term “Frank” came to be used to refer to “people from the west” in Persia and Central Asia; from there it passed to the Indian Subcontinent, and onwards to Thailand. It certainly could be considered racsist, though perhaps it’s not quite so loaded as its basis is not directly related to skin colour.
Random aside for the day – the same word is the source for the term “lingua franca” or the “Language of the Franks”. The original lingua franca was the meditteranean pidgin – a blend of Italian, Arabic, French, Greek etc used as a trading langugae in the ports from Egypt to Gibralter…
-
@ Marisa
Funny’s hard work. & Funny will come back later. We creative geniuses are up-and-down depressive types…
@ Farah,
Bules will have to wear being called bules in the end. It’s just an academic discussion…:-)
-
We will have to agree to disagree Timbo.
Actually, I think if I am Indonesia, the I am the one with the power to decide whether I mean any offense in the use of the term, but again, we will agree…blah blah blah
-
Folks — more importantly — now they’re talking about relocating Jl. Surabaya — the premier source of 2nd -hand Dangdut LPs and Koes Ploes as well.
Is nothing sacred ? Soon I shall have to dong my ukuele to orchestrate a campaign of protest !
-
Farah says:
@ Farah,
Bules will have to wear being called bules in the end. It’s just an academic discussion”¦:-)
… walk across the room and talk to the un-known guy that just arrive from Canada “i don’t want to call you bule, because i just know its racist, so, may i know your name ?”…
(place: office, time: April 7, 2008)Okay, its officially erased from my vocab.
Cheers for all. 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
-
Folks —
They’re destroying the soul of inner Jakarta
Is this the change we had to have ? -
Have a bunch of you been programmed like those Stepford Wives, not in the sense of being immaculate mannequins excelling in banal pleasantries (obviously) but in being incapable of reasonable consideration of points of view anywhere to the right of Oprah?Exposure to conservatism, whether the religious leaders’ mildly put version or my slightly more robust style, seems to blow your fuses.
Even Janma, who has humour and grace, is all uptight on behalf of the beings referred to in the other thread. I find it baffling, especially those who think I just utter good sense to rile you up.
I’d rather have rose colored glasses than ross colored glasses thank you very much!
Hey Ross, don’t you think it’s ironic that your name actually comes from the word ‘Red’…. kind of like a sick joke hey…. -
Perhaps the people programmed like the Stepford Wives here are not us left leaning liberal loonies (try saying that fast!) but rather those located anywhere on the right of Oprah!
Reasonable consideration would appear, at least to me, to be a two-way street!
-
Janma, I believe Ross is a Gaelic origin name, not necessarily meaning red. More embarrassing is the fact that I’m LEFT-handed!
Rob, I am happy to give reasonable consideration to left-libs loons, but when they get into arrant nonsense, like MbakAditya, it is difficult.
When critics have actually read my books, I respect their comments and will debate them. The likes of people who use Indonesian pseudonyms and Anglo-Saxon underclass slang to concoct absurd yarns, about making hard-back copies of my paper-backs, raise suspicions.
I had a lengthy exchange once, on another site, with a foul-mouthed clown (his posts were studded with asterisks because he could not master civilised language to argue his case) who plied similar ludicrous lies.
These latest diurnal emissions remind me of his style. The poor chap was forever gabbling about how he yearned to beat up those who disagreed with him ( a prize candidate for FPI membership – their first bule subscription, perhaps) but he courageously disguised his actual identity, much as the fanatics only attack mob-handed and usually at night. Rumour has it he sells cigarettes from bar to bar. He often seemed to be drunk when posting, yet here we have a putative soul-mate deriding Jalan Jaksa for low-life activity? Odd, to be sure.
Anyway, with the duel postponed till June, I’m taking a break. I shall avoid even inpsecting the site in case some farrago of mendacity (nice-turned phrase, Achmad?) provokes me to resume spending hours scanning verbal aggro!
Pinkos, enjoy May Day! Good guys, enjoy Empire Day!
Comment on “Jalan Jaksa Under Threat”.
Copyright Indonesia Matters 2006-2025
Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | Contact
@ All,
Just to get back onto the proper topic, unfortunately, Ross has hit the hammer on the head with this one. Jl. Jaksa, ‘specially Ya Udah, is a unique place, frequented by crusty old-timer Bules, um, Londos, Um, Orang Barat, um Westerners, and funky Indonesian bohemians alike.
@ Timdog,
@ Diligraf,
I am none other than a poet, ukuele player, dangdut singer and pencak silat instructor, native to Purbalingga (Central Java), transmigrated to Purbolinggo (Sumatra).
Merdeka !