Edition 10: The Plot Against Citayam Fashion Week
A Note from the Editor-in-Chief
Good morning Wuiboos! Been a while since I've said hi. Thanks for your continued readership of WIUI The People!
This week, we're shaking things up a bit with an opinion piece/editorial (op-ed), and a bit of extra photo journalism from our very own Cult Leader Mike, instead of the usual headliner. Let us know what you think of these and whether you want more of them through the form in our Pen Pal section!
Best regards,
Editor-in-Chief Hirzi, on behalf of the newsletter team Mike, Sharon, and Vincent. 💘
Op-Ed: The Plot Against Citayam Fashion Week
Indonesian netizens have been captivated by Citayam Fashion Week (CFW), an impromptu and informal fashion event in the Dukuh Atas area in Central Jakarta attended by teenagers from the suburban outskirts of the Jakarta metropolitan area.
The Integrated Greater Jakarta transport system has made it easy for many teenagers from areas outside of Jakarta to visit the area and showcase their creativity, with the National Railway Authority reporting record high passenger numbers in the Sudirman Train Station.
But recently, the trend has been tainted by individuals seeking to either gentrify or dismantle the trend. From biased media, rich influencers, and government officials, everyone seems to want a slice of the pie.
The media have been crowding the area, interviewing many of the attendants and locals. While some highlight the creativity present at the event, others choose to highlight more controversial aspects such as traffic disruptions, local objections, and effeminate males.
Increased movement to the area by more well off individuals who own cars and motorcycles (instead of commuting via public transport) has resulted in traffic congestion and cases of illegal parking.
The claims of gentrification hit a boiling point when Baim Wong, an actor and YouTuber, tried to trademark the name ‘Citayam Fashion Week’ in order to make it a private affair. The claim to the copyright office was later rescinded after a wave of backlash.
Then, the head of Central Jakarta’s Office for Social Services said that they planned to arrest males in the area who dress in a feminine manner and put them into temporary social homes. This has sparked a wave of moral outcry towards the event with many spouting homophobic rhetoric.
The Jakarta Metropolitan Police also said that CFW should only be held during the car free day every Sunday. Many even suggest that the location of the event be moved to Sarinah, an act that many say will only kill the trend.
Finally on July 27th, officials announced via loudspeaker in the area that the law enforcement will be restricting the use of the crosswalks for pedestrians only, putting an end to the impromptu event.
CFW is a stark reminder of how trends can grow organically with good intentions, and become an outlet for creativity and inspiration. It’s a shame that it came to be hijacked by individuals who don’t understand it or seek to exploit it.
[All photos are credited to Michael Cahyadi/WIUI]
📧 Tell us what you think!
What’s your take on the whole Citayam Fashion Week phenomenon and its subsequent gentrification? Tell us in the Pen Pal section!
What Is Up, Indonesia?
🔔 Special Focus
Indonesia blocks Yahoo, Paypal, gaming websites: Indonesia has blocked Yahoo, Paypal, and several gaming websites due to failure to comply with Kominfo’s Electronic System Operator (ESO) regulations, sparking mass backlash in social media.
WIUI recently did a post on the Kominfo-pocalypse in collaboration with @ecommurz. We go in-depth on what being a registered ESO entails and how it can harm the right to speech and privacy in Indonesia.
🌎 Politics & International Relations
Indonesia and Western partners to hold military exercise amid heightened Indo-Pacific tensions: The annual "Super Garuda Shield" exercise, which the US called "significantly larger in scope and scale than previous exercises", comes against a backdrop of heightened tensions with China over the latter's growing assertiveness in the region.
HIPMI Chairman arrested for alleged corruption: The Head of the Indonesian Young Entrepreneurs Association (HIPMI) and member of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) Mardani Maming has been detained by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) for allegedly accepting bribes from a coal tycoon.
📈 Economics & Business
Workers call on Jakarta governor to challenge court ruling on minimum wage: The Indonesian Trade Union Confederation (KSPI) has urged Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan to file an appeal against a State Administrative Court ruling that overturned the city administration's decision to raise the minimum wage by 5.1%.
Jokowi reaps $13b in investment deals from East Asian tour: Indonesia bags US$13 billion in deals for the New Capital City project after making official state visits to China, Japan, and South Korea
🏛️ Society & Culture
Workers strike over increased Komodo National Park ticket price: Alleging a lack of consultation, tourism workers in East Nusa Tenggara are striking to protest a ticket price hike that took place on the 1st of August for entry into Komodo National Park as they fear it will lead to a decrease in profit.
Citilink pilot dies after performing an emergency landing: The pilot of a Citilink flight suffered a health emergency 15 minutes after take-off on Thursday and was forced to return to the airport before being rushed to a hospital where he later died.
🌳 Science, Environment & Health
Homophobia may hinder Indonesia’s handling of monkeypox: After being declared as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) by the World Health Organization, experts fear that Indonesia’s homophobic culture may hinder the handling of the increasingly spreading disease.
Four million medical workers in Indonesia up for second booster: Indonesia has kicked off its second round of booster jabs by further inoculating medical workers against COVID-19 as vaccine-driven immunity is expected to wane over time.
Environmental groups ask Tesla to stop nickel mining investment in Indonesia: Global environmental groups urged Tesla to reconsider its plans for nickel investment in Indonesia as scrutiny mounts against an industry crucial to the electric vehicle revolution.
What We're Reading
With Jokowi’s recent visits to countries in Europe and Asia, the headlines always promote the fact that Indonesia is an active player in international affairs. But some are questioning Indonesia’s foreign policy goals and their end results.
Why Indonesia Punches Below its Weight in Global Affairs : “In this, Jokowi is different from many leaders of countries of similar size and standing, who see national interest in broader terms of regional leadership and other measures of prestige. Indeed, when Jokowi came to office he promised a “down-to-earth diplomacy”, instructing officials to focus on the everyday needs of Indonesians ahead of abstract principles or even Indonesia’s international profile.” - The Economist
PenPal
Our housing article in Edition 7 of our newsletter elicited a lot of Pen Pal responses! We thought it’d be good to feature what some of our readers thought on housing affordability and their home ownership prospects!
A Hot Take: “As someone who studied architecture in uni and have some friends in the industry, the housing issue is just outrageous, we can't win. Not to mention that the population is ever-growing and there's only so much land to accommodate us. The issue of gentrification is also a topic that is being swept under the rug, not even my teachers in uni really discussed it, which is why i'm actually sort of wary about the IKN development. I do feel like most people are complicit, especially in big cities (*cough* Jabodetabek area cough) because most people have an expectation of what "quality of life" looks like in the city therefore prices just get higher and higher. RAISE THE MINIMUM WAGE MAN SERIOUSLY! This is more of a rant than a hot take, but yeah hahahahaha. Really appreciate the work!”
Our Response: Heyy, really grateful that you enjoyed our piece (also for so many of you guys too, we had a lot of positive responses from our housing story!).
I think raising the minimum wage could introduce some issues such as rising cost of manufacturing which will be passed down to consumers through higher prices for goods. It may also scare off foreign manufacturers who have been swarming Indonesia as a large contributor of investment and jobs (and we need more jobs for sure).
I think a way to solve this in a win-win situation is to do what Singapore did to solve its housing crisis: building more affordable housing with reasonable payment plans. This will create local jobs for construction, protect the economy from wage inflation, allow workers to have more disposable income as rent goes down across the region, and reduce issues such as criminality and poverty just by one simple policy.
But unfortunately the older generation won’t sign off on this, because it will erode the prices of their property investments🤷♀️. Thus we end up with expensive apartments with rooms that will never be lived in anyways since it will be scooped up by people looking for a long term investment.
~ Cult Leader Maik
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