Jakarta’s civil servants will now be expected to wear Betawi attire on Friday instead of Wednesday, after a change instituted by the city’s governor. The revision was made to accommodate some Islamic male civil servants’ desire to perform their Friday prayers, where they normally wear robes, sarong and a cap — similar to the Betawi outfit for men. “This is to make it easier for the men so that they don’t have to wear the Betawi attire twice.
Therefore, it’s best to switch the day,” Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo said at City Hall on Friday. The governor in December decided that once a week, city officials would be compelled to dress in traditional Betawi attire as part of an effort to create a distinct identity and help preserve local Betawi culture. Many of the city’s staff had already abandoned their Betawi attire on Wednesday in favor of a regular green uniform. In the future, the governor will also apply the policy to students, hotel and mall employees, as Joko seeks to reinforce Betawi culture in the capital.
Aside from the policy on Betawi attire, the governor will also require buildings to promote Betawi culture through the use of Betawi ornaments. “We will make Jakarta the center of the Betawi culture. Civil servants, schools, malls and hotels will also follow suit and be required to wear it,” Joko said. Some women find wearing Betawi attire inconvenient, especially when they take the public transportation, as the female version consists of kebaya and batik sarong, which many find constricting, hot, and inappropriate. In many offices, Friday has become a day for the wearing of batik outfits. Lenny Tristia Tambun
source : the jakarta globe
source : the jakarta globe
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