For many in Jakarta, the Eid al-Fitr Lebaran holiday presents an opportunity to take part in the annual homecoming exodus called mudik, while the rest get to enjoy the city without the overcrowding and notorious traffic jams (but sadly without many of our favorite street food vendors, most of whom would or already have gone back to their hometowns), as if at least half of the city’s population disappeared overnight.
Well, for this year’s Lebaran holiday, which goes from June 23-July 2, the Jakarta provincial government estimated that 40% of Jakartans will remain in the city instead of going on mudik. Based on the latest government data, that means around 4 million Jakartans are expected to spend Lebaran in the capital, though that number excludes citizens of Jakarta’s sister cities that make up the Greater Jakarta Area.
While the city is expected to be quiet during that time, like in every year, its tourism hotspots are still going to draw big crowds. For that reason, the provincial government is going to have Public Order Agency (Satpol PP) officers, Transportation Agency officers, healthcare workers and fire departments on standby to ensure security in the city.
“Some tourism areas will be prioritized because they tend to be more crowded,” said Jakarta provincial government Regional Secretary Saefullah, as quoted by Tempo today.
Saefullah mentioned Ancol, the National Monument (Monas), Kota Tua, Ragunan Zoo, and Taman Mini Indonesia Indah as places likely to still be crowded regardless of the Lebaran holiday.
Even though the Lebaran holiday doesn’t officially start for another two days, there are already signs that many Jakartans have taken early leave and left the city before the mass exodus. From June 15-19, toll roads operator PT Jasa Marga counted 434 thousand vehicles having already left the city. They predict that the number of Jakartans leaving the city by road will reach its peak on June 23.
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