Asia’s first Buddha Bar resists attackers
Güncelleme Tarihi:
AFP
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Mart 24, 2009 00:00
JAKARTA - Just three months after its grand opening in a renovated Dutch colonial-era building in central Jakarta, the plush lounge and restaurant, which is Asia’s first Buddha Bar and features a huge statue of Buddha, fights calls for its closure for insulting religion
A lounge aspiring to set new standards in chic among the sons and daughters of Indonesia's elite has instead become embroiled in an ugly row over religion and alleged corruption.
The plush Buddha Bar lounge and restaurant, the first in Asia, is fighting calls for its closure less than three months after its grand opening in a renovated Dutch colonial-era building in central Jakarta.
The bar, which features a huge statue of Buddha, is the scene of almost weekly protests from enraged Buddhists, hardly a victory in the Paris-based chain's stated goal to "conquer the hearts" of the "local beautiful people."
Lawyers for the Buddhists' Anti-Buddha Bar Forum have filed a police complaint alleging the business is insulting their religion, one of the five constitutionally recognized faiths in the mainly Muslim country.
"For us, Buddha is our revered teacher. But for them, Buddha is a decoration. The worst thing is the statues are in such an indecent place," protest coordinator Eko Nugroho said as Buddhists symbolically "sealed" the bar closed during a demonstration in February.
The bar is decorated like a shrine to exoticism. Buddha images peer from almost every wall and a five-meter-tall statue of a golden sitting Buddha Ğ something usually only seen in sacred temples in this part of the world Ğ gazes over the main dining area.
"This franchise could never open in Malaysia, Singapore or Thailand. Its opening in Jakarta is really an insensitive decision," Nugroho said, blaming the government for approving the company’s business license.
No intention to remove statues
In addition to aggravating the country's Buddhist minority, the bar is also caught up in calls from anti-corruption activists for a probe into alleged conflicts of interest and abuse of power. Suspicions are swirling around the millions of dollars in public money that were spent renovating the old immigration building before it was offered by the city council for commercial lease.
The bar is co-owned by the wealthy daughters of former president Megawati Sukarnoputri and the ex-governor of Jakarta, Sutiyoso, who reportedly ordered the renovations.
"There could be a conflict of interest. Officials need to investigate whether their permits and documents are in line with procedure," Indonesian Corruption Watch coordinator Agus Sunaryanto said.
"The Jakarta administration allocated 30 billion rupiah [$2.52 million] to renovate the historic building. Initially, the renovation fund was one billion rupiah, but the administration decided to allocate more."
The bar’s local owners and managers have refused to comment, but French entrepreneur Raymond Visan, whose George V Eatertainment group is the Buddha Bar's parent company, says the Jakarta franchise has done nothing wrong.
The bar is being caught up in local politics ahead of elections in April and July, he said. "It's linked to the elections and the interests of certain people because, as you know, the [owners] are the daughters of Megawati and the former governor of Jakarta," Visan told AFP from Paris.
As for the Buddhists, he said they needed to, well, chill out.
"We have no intention of changing the name or removing the statues. It's common to find Buddhas in restaurants Ğ they bring good luck," Visan said, adding he was ready to travel to Jakarta to meet with the Buddhists. Sunardjo Sumargono, a lawyer for the Anti-Buddha Bar Forum, said it wasn't just the Buddhist minority that was angry but people from other religions as well. Muslims, he said, have starting to join the protests out of solidarity.
"What's next? A Mohammad Bar, a Jesus Bar?" Sumargono asked. "Please don't use religion like this, it's a very sensitive issue." The first Buddha Bar appeared in Paris in the mid-1990s.
Indonesia is the fourth mainly Muslim country to get one, after Egypt, Lebanon and Dubai. So far none has been established in a Buddhist-majority country.
The plush Buddha Bar lounge and restaurant, the first in Asia, is fighting calls for its closure less than three months after its grand opening in a renovated Dutch colonial-era building in central Jakarta.
The bar, which features a huge statue of Buddha, is the scene of almost weekly protests from enraged Buddhists, hardly a victory in the Paris-based chain's stated goal to "conquer the hearts" of the "local beautiful people."
Lawyers for the Buddhists' Anti-Buddha Bar Forum have filed a police complaint alleging the business is insulting their religion, one of the five constitutionally recognized faiths in the mainly Muslim country.
"For us, Buddha is our revered teacher. But for them, Buddha is a decoration. The worst thing is the statues are in such an indecent place," protest coordinator Eko Nugroho said as Buddhists symbolically "sealed" the bar closed during a demonstration in February.
The bar is decorated like a shrine to exoticism. Buddha images peer from almost every wall and a five-meter-tall statue of a golden sitting Buddha Ğ something usually only seen in sacred temples in this part of the world Ğ gazes over the main dining area.
"This franchise could never open in Malaysia, Singapore or Thailand. Its opening in Jakarta is really an insensitive decision," Nugroho said, blaming the government for approving the company’s business license.
No intention to remove statues
In addition to aggravating the country's Buddhist minority, the bar is also caught up in calls from anti-corruption activists for a probe into alleged conflicts of interest and abuse of power. Suspicions are swirling around the millions of dollars in public money that were spent renovating the old immigration building before it was offered by the city council for commercial lease.
The bar is co-owned by the wealthy daughters of former president Megawati Sukarnoputri and the ex-governor of Jakarta, Sutiyoso, who reportedly ordered the renovations.
"There could be a conflict of interest. Officials need to investigate whether their permits and documents are in line with procedure," Indonesian Corruption Watch coordinator Agus Sunaryanto said.
"The Jakarta administration allocated 30 billion rupiah [$2.52 million] to renovate the historic building. Initially, the renovation fund was one billion rupiah, but the administration decided to allocate more."
The bar’s local owners and managers have refused to comment, but French entrepreneur Raymond Visan, whose George V Eatertainment group is the Buddha Bar's parent company, says the Jakarta franchise has done nothing wrong.
The bar is being caught up in local politics ahead of elections in April and July, he said. "It's linked to the elections and the interests of certain people because, as you know, the [owners] are the daughters of Megawati and the former governor of Jakarta," Visan told AFP from Paris.
As for the Buddhists, he said they needed to, well, chill out.
"We have no intention of changing the name or removing the statues. It's common to find Buddhas in restaurants Ğ they bring good luck," Visan said, adding he was ready to travel to Jakarta to meet with the Buddhists. Sunardjo Sumargono, a lawyer for the Anti-Buddha Bar Forum, said it wasn't just the Buddhist minority that was angry but people from other religions as well. Muslims, he said, have starting to join the protests out of solidarity.
"What's next? A Mohammad Bar, a Jesus Bar?" Sumargono asked. "Please don't use religion like this, it's a very sensitive issue." The first Buddha Bar appeared in Paris in the mid-1990s.
Indonesia is the fourth mainly Muslim country to get one, after Egypt, Lebanon and Dubai. So far none has been established in a Buddhist-majority country.