JAKARTA: Upon arrival at the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Jakarta, one word repeatedly kept popping up, begging for attention. ‘Sukseskan’. On billboards. On the back of T-shirts. On posters stuck to cars and tuk-tuks. Strictly speaking, it doesn’t have an English translation, but it roughly means ‘wishing you all the success possible’. It is the locals’ way of wishing themselves before the start of the 18th Asian Games. “That’s just our way of telling our athletes... forget everything else and bring home the gold,” a local said.
It also has a deeper meaning. The message is not just meant for athletes who will wear the famous white and red over the next two weeks. It is also, in essence, a clarion call to the close to 261.1 million people (2016 census) — fourth most populous country — who call the island nation home.This is because these are testing, challenging times for the South East Asian country. They had only four years to prepare against the normal seven after Hanoi, original hosts, backed out because of financial issues. That was before the Indonesian Asian Games Organising Committee (INASGOC) willingly advanced the event from 2019 to 2018 due to the upcoming elections next year.
The last three years have seen a continuation of uncontrolled growth — most main roads resemble concrete jungles akin to Singapore — without the necessary checks and balances in place. This has further exacerbated the very real problem of parts of the metropolis being at least 70% underwater within the next 20 years. Hydrologists who have been working to address the problem are already calling ‘Jakarta as the fastest sinking city in the world’. Peter Letitre, a Dutch hydrologist who has been working with the government for the last few years, reckons there is still time to save it. But not a lot.
“There is not a lot of piped water so people are forced to pump it from the aquifers,” Letitre told Express. “This, in turn, leads to land subsidence (the loss of surface elevation due to the removal of subsurface support).” That’s one of the main reasons why Jakarta witnesses repeated flooding. Unchecked urbanisation is another cause (just think Chennai in 2015). Parts of the city are already uninhabitable.
Another issue that has cropped up recently is terrorism. It was only in May when Surabaya, the country’s second largest city, suffered at the hands of terror as suicide bombers killed 13 people. It was the deadliest terror attack on Indonesian soil in 10 years. There is also an ongoing air pollution crisis.
It’s in this backdrop that the Games are going to be held. While a few locals expressed doubts over the country’s immediate future, many remained hopeful. “Obviously I will watch the games,” Henry, a resident of South Jakarta, said. “There are problems but there are problems everywhere and I believe we will see it through.” Hassan, a cab driver, was equally optimistic about the country’s future. “I believe we are going on the right track,” he said. “You see what you want to see. We are a developing economy and we will continue on that path.”
But he did have an Asian Games-related warning. “The traffic here is so bad my worst nightmare, as a proud Indonesian, is when they are forced to hold up one of the events because the athlete or judges is stuck in traffic (laughs).” That joke aside, the next two weeks could very well decide the path Indonesia opts for in the short to medium term.
Late on Saturday night, Via Valen, a popular Indonesian star, gave a rousing rendition of ‘Meraih Bintang’, the official theme song. It’s a grand salute to the athletes, coaches and officials of the 45 countries who have assembled here. The lyrics wished each and every one of them all the best.
Sukseskan.swaroop@newindianexpress.com
Ramkumar called for double duty
Ramkumar Ramanathan will be carrying India’s hopes in singles as well as doubles after captain Zeeshan Ali named him as replacement for Leander Paes. Because of being the higher-ranked singles player, there was a feeling that Ramkumar would be spared double duty, but Ali thought otherwise. “Given the players who are here, these are the best available combinations,” Ali told Express. Prajnesh Gunneswaran is the only men’s player to be excused from performing dual roles. In mixed doubles, both Rohan Bopanna and Divij Sharan will be in action. While the former will partner Ankita Raina, the top-ranked women’s player, the latter will be pairing up young Karman Kaur Thandi.
SQUAD: Men’s singles: Ramkumar Ramanathan, Prajnesh Gunneswaran. Men’s doubles: Ramkumar/Sumit Nagal & Rohan Bopanna/Divij Sharan. Women’s singles: Ankita Raina, Karman Kaur Thandi. Women’s doubles: Pranjala Yadlapalli/Rutuja Bhosale & Ankita/Prathna Thombare. Mixed doubles: Bopanna/Ankita & Divij/Karman.