Phrase Majelis Kaum Betawi is very important for the Betawi community which is the core community of Indonesia’s capital city Jakarta.

Jakarta (Indonesia Window) – Jakarta Senator Prof. Dr. H. Dailami Firdaus has called for inclusion of phrase Majelis Kaum Betawi or the Betawi Pelolple’s Assembly in the revision of the Jakarta Special Region Provincial Government Bill, the discussion of which is currently ongoing.

Bang Dai, the nickname of the grandson of the charismatic Betawi cleric KH Abdullah Safi'i, said at the Focus Group Discussion (FGD) at the Borobudur hotel in Indonesia’s capital city of Jakarta on Tuesday (Aug. 1)

Betawi is an ethnic group that generally occupies Jakarta and its surroundings.

The FGD was initiated by the Director General of Regional Autonomy of the Ministry of Home Affairs in the context of discussing the concept of the Jakarta Special Government Bill.

I Made Suwandi, Halilul Khairi and Abdul Malik Sadat Idris were speakers at the discussion which was opened by Director General Akmal Malik.

Some prominent Betawi figures were also present, including Eddie Marzuki Nalapraya, Bien Benyamin, Silviana Murni Mardani Ali Sera, Marullah Matalih and Bekky Mardani.

Dailami said the phrase Majelis Kaum Betawi is very important for the Betawi community which is the core community of Jakarta.

"I ask for the support of the government which is currently preparing the draft bill and the House of Representatives that will pass it in the future, to accommodate the phrase ‘Majelis Kaum Betawi’ in the law," he said.

According to him, there are currently two drafts of the Jakarta Special Region Provincial Government Revision Bill, namely the one prepared by the Government and the other one set by the Regional Representative Council (DPD) of the Republic of Indonesia (RI).

"I would like to convey the latest developments in DPD RI. Praise to God, on July 14, 2023, in the 12th plenary session of 2022/2023, the DPD RI has passed a follow-up draft of the Bill on the Provincial Government of the Special Region of Jakarta. In the draft, there is a proposed phrase about the Betawi People's Council," Dailami noted.

That is why he asked that the draft prepared by DPD RI could 'match' with the draft set by the government, in this case the Director General of the Regional Autonomy of the Home Affairs Ministry.

In response to the proposal, Director General Akmal Malik said that his party would continue to discuss until an agreement was reached.

According to him, his party held this FGD was the eighth time.

"This is just a draft, we will continue to discuss with relevant parties and experts so that this law can be close to perfection, and can be accepted by all parties," he told reporters after the discussion.

Akmal was optimistic that the bill would be completed before February 2024, and brought to the House of Representatives (DPR) to be passed into law.

Various proposals from Betawi figures emerged in the FGD. The point is that the existence of the Betawi people, who are the core community of Jakarta, would not be marginalized.

Meanwhile Senator Silviana Murni said that the name of the law was changed to the Jakarta Metropolitan Law because in the future Jakarta is expected to become a global city.

There are also those who propose that representatives of the Betawi community in the DPR are not elected but appointed, such as the specificity given to indigenous people of other special regions in Indonesia.

Editing by Indonesia Window