Buddha Bar Dinilai Melecehkan Agama Buddha

[xenocross]

Corruption watchdog seeks probe into Buddha Bar

Prodita Sabarini ,  THE JAKARTA POST ,  JAKARTA   |  Wed, 03/18/2009 10:08 AM  |  City

Public building?: The building popularly known as the Old Immigration Office on Jl. Teuku Umar, Menteng, Central Jakarta, was purchased and renovated with taxpayer money, but now houses an upmarket bar and restaurant owned by the daughters of former top officials. JP/P.J. LeoPublic building?: The building popularly known as the Old Immigration Office on Jl. Teuku Umar, Menteng, Central Jakarta, was purchased and renovated with taxpayer money, but now houses an upmarket bar and restaurant owned by the daughters of former top officials. JP/P.J. Leo

The Buddha Bar seems to be going through a lot lately: Buddhist students’ protests, questions about the public’s limited access, and, most recently, a request for an investigation into its permits.

Operating for less than four months, the only Asian branch of the French lounge chain Buddha Bar, occupying the historical former Immigration building in the posh area of Menteng, Central Jakarta, has caused uproar in the capital.

Religious Affairs Minister Maftuh Basyuni even urged the restaurant management to close down the restaurant following protests from several Buddhist students; he said such a name would prompt other bars to take up names like “Christian Bar or Islam Bar”. The entire hullabaloo, however, did not seem to affect the running of the restaurant.

The signature Buddha Bar lounge music played in the dimly lit cocktail room on a recent Thursday night, while clientele from the corporate world wound down sipping Rp 95,000 (US$8) cocktails on plush sofas. Upstairs, the six-meter-tall Buddha statue towered over the cavernous high-ceilinged dining room that could seat 240 people.

The Indonesian Corruption Watch head of Monitoring and Investigation Agus Sunaryanto said that, the religious issue aside, the public should question the dodgy circumstances behind the transformation of the 96-year-old Old Dutch building into a high-class restaurant.

The building, once owned and abandoned by the son of former president Suharto, Hutomo Mandala Putra, was repurchased by the city administration for Rp 28.9 billion in 2001. The city poured another Rp 6.1 billion in to repair it.   

Buddha Bar is now jointly run by Renny Sutiyoso, the daughter of former governor Sutiyoso, who approved the restoration of the building, and the daughter of former president Megawati, Puan Maharani. The management of the bar rented the building for Rp 4 billion for five years.

“When we found out that Renny Sutiyoso was one of the owners, we were concerned that there had been a conflict of interest here. It is an asset of the city administration. There was a huge budget spent on the restoration and now the building is used by the private sector, in which the daughter of the former governor is involved,” Agus said.

“We hope that law enforcers have the initiative to investigate this.”

Buddha Bar manager Herry Prasetya refused to comment, saying that he was only responsible for the running of the restaurant.

Criticism also arises on the issue of the building’s accessibility for the general public, as its current function as a high-class restaurant prevents people from all walks of life entering it. 

The administration in 2005, promised to transform it into a “unique venue” for Jakartans to share. The city administration even held a competition to garner ideas for the usage of the building.

Dastin Hillery won the competition with an idea to utilize the building in its initial function as an art gallery. Suci Mayang Sari and Agus Surja Sadana were the runners-up, with ideas to utilize the building as a place for an architectural community and a restaurant with a 19th century feel, respectively.

Runner-up Agus said if the city administration teamed up with the private sector on the running of the building, it was understandable it had become a high-class restaurant. The reason, he said, was simply bad public transportation in the area.

“The location is not strategic, only people with private cars can reach the area easily,” he said.
Head of the city’s tourism agency Arie Budhiman said earlier the bar had an art gallery that was open to public. During the visit, however, The Jakarta Post only found a foyer displaying pictures of the building.

City councilor Selamat Nurudin from Commission E overseeing culture and education said that maintenance for museums and art galleries was very expensive and the city budget could not afford to utilize the building as such.

“That’s why the city rented it out and the money will be used for the maintenance and operation of other museums in Jakarta,” he said.

With the amount of money the bar’s management pays to the city administration, it would take them more than 40 years to compensate for the Rp 35 billion taxpayers had to shoulder to purchase and renovate the building.

The city administration, however, did not respond to the question of when the public building could be enjoyed by a wider public and not just those with deep pockets.


Ownership changes:

• From 1914 to 1942, the building was an art gallery, owned by the Dutch government.
• From 1942 to 1945, under the Japanese occupation, the building was the headquarters of Madjelis Islam Alaa.
• From  the 1950s to 1997, the building served as an immigration office for Central Jakarta.
• From 1998 to 2002, the building belonged to PT Mandala Griya Cipta, the company owned by the former president Soeharto’s son, Hutomo Mandala Putra.
• From 2002 till today, the building is the property of the Jakarta Board of Museum and History.
• From 2008 till present, the building houses the Buddha Bar.
http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2009/03/18/corruption-watchdog-seeks-probe-buddha-bar.html
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[xenocross]

Editorial: The Buddha Bar

The Jakarta Post   |  Sat, 03/21/2009 11:19 AM  |  Opinion

William Shakespeare wrote in “Romeo and Juliet”: ...”What is in a name? That which we call a rose. By other name will smell as sweet.” This phrase perhaps came to the mind of the owner — or owners as reported by some — of the new Buddha Bar in Jakarta, after Indonesian Buddhists protested the use Buddha’s name for a bar, just one in an international-chain.

The location of the bar has also some into question as it occupies the historic immigration building in Central Jakarta. When the almost century old building was renovated, with tax payer money, the city authorities indicated that it would be converted into a public venue for cultural purposes.

It is very clear that it is only a matter of time before Jakarta Governor Fauzi Bowo closes down the hangout to avoid more protests, not just from Buddhists. The owners can only lament that Shakespeare’s saying is not enough to calm down the protesters. Big financial loses will be unavoidable because the bar opened  only in December. The workers will only add to the very long list of jobless people in this country.

In Paris, where the Buddha Bar was established in 1996, or in other cosmopolitan cities, Buddha’s name perhaps becomes a magnet for visitors because of its exoticism. According to one Website, the bars offer their guests the opportunity to relax and enjoy cosmopolitan culinary dishes around a huge statue of Buddha.

But this is Indonesia. Shakespeare’s saying does not mean much for the Buddhists who are offended by the bar’s name. Some may argue that the protesters are just following the behavior of followers of other religions here, who are often over sensitive with anything they regard as offensive to their religion. These people often forget that their daily deeds are actually more offensive to their religion than those of the people they accuse of humiliating their faith.

It is also questionable why the owner of Jakarta’s Buddha Bar — the daughter of former Jakarta governor Sutiyoso —does not have even a little religious sensitivity. In Indonesia, religious issues often spark protests. It is very hard to imagine that the thought that allowing people to drink in front of a statue of Buddha might spark anger from Indonesian Buddhists never crossed the minds of the bar’s owners. (xenocross: makanya mereka sudah sediain surat izin palsu dan sudah menyuap oknum-oknum sebelum ada protes besar, ya kan?)

For many Indonesians, not just Buddhists, it is ridiculous that then name of Buddha has been used for a restaurant chain where visitors come to enjoy luxury food and drinks. A six-meter tall Buddha statue is erected inside the restaurant, as if acting as the protector of visitors, including those who drink too much.

Governor Fauzi Bowo must prioritize the preservation of the historical building; it is hard to believe that the city administration does not have enough funds for it. With a little creativity the building could be used to serve the public interests. The choice of name is not wise here, and this is a lesson for all of us.

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2009/03/21/editorial-the-buddha-bar.html

[hartono238]

ditunggu bantahan dari dirjen bimas buddha tentang pelintiran wawancara dia , sampai sekarang kok nagk ada ??

[xenocross]

http://news.id.msn.com/lifestyle/article.aspx?cp-documentid=2894103

Asia's first Buddha Bar under attack in Indonesia

It wants to set new standards in chic for the sons and daughters of Indonesia's elite, but instead Asia's first Buddha Bar has become embroiled in an ugly row over religion and alleged corruption.

The plush lounge bar and restaurant featuring a huge statue of Bhuddha is fighting calls for its closure less than three months since its grand opening in a renovated Dutch colonial-era building in central Jakarta.

The bar is the scene of almost weekly protests from enraged Buddhists as it struggles, in the words of the Paris-based chain's website, 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 recognised faiths in the mainly Muslim country.

"For us, Buddha is our revered teacher. But for them, Buddha is a decoration and 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 the five-metre (15-foot) statue of a golden sitting Buddha -- something usually only seen in sacred temples in this part of the world -- 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 business licence.

Having aggravated the country's Buddhist minority, the bar is also caught up calls from anti-corruption activists for a probe into alleged conflicts of interest and abuse of power.

Suspicions are swirling around millions of dollars in public money that was 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 dollars) to renovate the historic building. Initially, the renovation fund was one billion rupiah but the administration decided to allocate more."

The daughters and the bar's 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," he 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 -- they bring good luck," he said, adding he was ready to travel to Jakarta to meet 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, with Muslims starting to join the protests out of solidarity.

"What's next? A Mohammad Bar, a  Bar?" he 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.

Visan said plans are afoot to open a Buddha Bar in Beijing, and the company has "projects" in Singapore where the authorities had approved the brand name, as well as Hong Kong and Japan.

He denied rumours that the authorities in Buddhist Thailand had refused permission for the opening of a Buddha Bar in Bangkok, saying no such request had been made.

"We sell some discs there," he added, referring to the "Buddha Bar" series of exotic music CDs, the 11th of which came out earlier this month. The company is also branching out into expensive spa treatments, dubbed "Buddhattitude".

Muslims make up roughly 90 percent of Indonesia's 234 million-strong population, but the constitution also recognises the country's Christian, Hindu, Buddhist and Confucian minorities.

[Wolvie]

Jumat, 20/03/2009 14:27 WIB
Puan Maharani Bukan Pemilik Buddha Bar
Indra Subagja - detikNews

Jakarta - Puan Maharani membantah memiliki kaitan dengan Buddha Bar. Putri Ketua Umum PDIP Megawati Soekarnoputri ini menegaskan dirinya sama sekali tidak mempunya hubungan dengan PT Nireta Vista Creative.

"Tidak ada satu pun kalimat dalam akta pendirian PT Nista Vista Cerative yang menyatakan klien kami selaku pemegang saham dalam perseroan tersebut," kata kuasa hukum Puan, Juniver Girsang, dalam suratnya kepada detikcom, Jumat (20/3/2009).

Penjelasan Juniver ini sekaligus mengklarifikasi sejumlah pemberitaan detikcom yang menuliskan bahwa Buddha Bar disebut-sebut dimiliki oleh Puan. (ndr/nrl)

sumber: http://www.detiknews.com/read/2009/0...lik-buddha-bar

Kenapa ya sampe nama2 Puan kebawa2 ? Jahat bener memang tuh pengambil lisensi BB di Indonesia, udah melukai umat Buddha eh pake fitnah kanan kiri lagi . Entahlah, makin simpang siur aja. Yang penting terus berjuang, pantang mundur.

[Xan To]

salut apa ya? Kan saya ga ngapa-ngapain.
Kok kayaknya pernah liat nickname Xan to entah dimana?

Ya salut aja atas usahamu untuk selalu ngepost berita terbaru mengenai Buddha Bar . Kebetulan saya tadi juga ada ikut aksi sejuta tanda tangan penolakan Buddha Bar  . Ya iya lah anda pernah lihat, saya kan senior mu di 3 forum....menurut tradisi kebhikkhuan, yang duluan ditabis musti dihormati loh     

[Brado]

Siapa yang sudah ke Buddha Bar ?
Seperti apa sih suasana disana ?
Jadi yang benar Buddha rupangnya itu Gotama atau Maitreya ?

[doris]

ternyata BB banyak bikin masalah, sampe nama Puan dicatut, pernyataan Dirjen dipelintir, dan Kasi cuma komentar jangan demo, kasi_han deh

Kayaknya BB punya "preman Buddhis" yang siap bela habis dan juga disertai oleh akhli hongsui yang lihay karena mampu bertahan dari hujan protes (baca tebal muka)

BTW akhli Hongsui BB siapa ya? Perlu akhli hongsui tadi untuk mendirikan bar lain, seperti Misbar

BB adalah pelajaran yang baik buat semua umat Buddha di Indonesia agar mau mawas diri, jangan gadaikan simbol agama Buddha hanya demi segenggam berlian

Semoga umat tidak terpancing untuk menuntut komisi
wakakakakakak

[markosprawira]

Siapa yang sudah ke Buddha Bar ?
Seperti apa sih suasana disana ?
Jadi yang benar Buddha rupangnya itu Gotama atau Maitreya ?

di hal 51 kayana ada fotonya tuh bro.....

[Jubah Emas]

Budha Bar ..oh Buddha Bar..

Buddha Bar adalah sebuah BAR
tempat orang melepas lapar
ada minuman pelemah sadar
tempat ngumpul orang bar bar

Buddha Bar..oh Buddha Bar,
Bikin umat Buddha jadi gusar
Karena simbol Guru Yang Tersadar
ada di tempat orang bar-bar

Para pejabat tolong donk sadar
jangan karena uang berlembar-lembar
hati nurani tidak bergetar
membangun vihara sulit benar,
tempat orang bar-bar mudah benar

Pemilik Buddha Bar, cepat kasih kabar
Kapan kita bisa berunding di meja bundar
supaya masalah cepat kelar

tokoh Buddha yang "samar"
rupanya anda senang ke bar
cari uang memang sukar
tetapi jangan karena cek selembar
mendukung mati Buddha bar

Umat Buddha jangan gentar
Roda Kamma pasti berputar
Siapa yang memetik senar
Bunyi akan terdengar

Umat Buddha cepatlah sadar
jangan bercerai jadi bubar
bersatu padu lawan orang bar-bar
dengan cinta kasih dan sabar
supaya Buddha Bar cepat BUBAR!!!!

Cirebon, 20 Maret 2009
V. Iwan Suprapto

[hatRed]

 


puisi yg mantab....

[Brado]

Siapa yang sudah ke Buddha Bar ?
Seperti apa sih suasana disana ?
Jadi yang benar Buddha rupangnya itu Gotama atau Maitreya ?

di hal 51 kayana ada fotonya tuh bro.....

Oke thanks bro markos
Hanya saya bingung, itukan franchise dari perancis kalo tidak salah, lalu kenapa di perancis sendiri serta franchise yang tersebar di negara2 lain tidak di demo ya sama buddhist2 sana ?
Apakah memang mental kita sebagai orang asia selalu mengedepankan emosi daripada nalar ?
Sering terjadi karena obyek sucinya di senggol, maka akan dengan mudah memicu pertengkaran dan perdebatan yang tak berujung

[Gunawan]

Puisi yang mantab.....

[hatRed]

 [at] om Lokkhi

secara kultural, budaya hormat di Asia dengan negara Eropa berbeda...

kalau dilihat di hampir semua negara Asia, budaya hormatnya lebih pengaruh/ sepertinya berawal dari Tiongkok, mungkin karena Orang2 Cina/pengaruhnya telah merantau ke segala pelosok asia.

mungkin om Sponge Purnama bisa memberi keterangan lebih lanjut.

[Satria_Bergincu]

[at] jubah emas

puisi-nya mantafffff....

mo +1 ah...