Bandung –

The city of Bandung was torn apart by the chaos that occurred last weekend. The unrest left many unusual scenes, particularly around the West Java Regional Legislative Council building on Diponegoro Street, which was the center of the mass action.

There, much trash was still scattered, along with vandalism graffiti and fence walls blackened from burning. It was these remnants of the chaos that online motorcycle taxi drivers then worked to restore.

With simple equipment such as brooms, buckets, dustpans, paint, and brushes, they moved in unison. Some swept and cleaned the sidewalks, while others were busy repainting the fences and building walls that were still stained.

“This is a solidarity action to clean up our city. It’s a form of our love for the city of Bandung,” said one of the drivers during an interview in the midst of the solidarity action to clean the area around the West Java Regional Legislative Council building.

Since morning, they did not stop working. The vandalism graffiti that marred the council walls was painted over white. Little by little, the traces of damage that bore witness to the mass unrest began to disappear, replaced by a fresher color.

“What we’ve been doing since morning is cleaning, painting the walls outside the council building. Cleaning the vandalism graffiti, bit by bit we clean it up,” the driver stated.

He revealed that this action began with a simple conversation in the drivers’ internal communication group. From a spontaneous idea, they moved together to come down and directly clean up the remnants of the riot. “We’re doing it here first; later if other public facilities are damaged we’ll try to fix them,” he said.

However, for the driver, this movement is not just about cleaning dirty streets or walls. More than that, there is a moral message they want to convey. He expressed hope that no further chaos would occur in the city of Bandung.

“Bandung must remain conducive. Council members, if there are any actions, please respond. Actually, Bandung has always been conducive; there have never been any anarchic actions,” he emphasized.

West Java Regional Legislative Council building

The West Java Regional Legislative Council building, known as Gedung DPRD Provinsi Jawa Barat, serves as the seat of the provincial government’s legislative branch. It was established to facilitate the democratic process and governance for the region following Indonesian independence and subsequent decentralization. The modern building symbolizes local political autonomy and is where regional laws and budgets are debated and enacted.

Diponegoro Street

Diponegoro Street is a major thoroughfare in Jakarta, Indonesia, named after Prince Diponegoro, a national hero who led a famous rebellion against Dutch colonial rule in the Java War (1825-1830). Today, it is a prominent central street known for being the location of several foreign embassies and government buildings.

Bandung

Bandung is the capital of West Java, Indonesia, famously known as the “Paris of Java” for its European-style architecture, art deco buildings, and vibrant creative and culinary scenes. Historically, it was the site of the 1955 Asia-Africa Conference, a landmark event that united developing nations and cemented its place in the history of the Non-Aligned Movement.