Tuesday, March 23, 2010
'Bama Misses Biggie
With all that health care nonsense in the US Barack Obama was forced to delay his trip to Jakarta. Which means he gets to miss out on that wonderful slice of uniquely Jakartan life called the '4ucked if I know'.
The way it works is like this. A football match is scheduled months in advance in Jakarta. Closer to the date the home team must apply for permission from security officials to hold the game. Said permission is either granted or not but wait, that is not the end of the matter.
Permission can be withdrawn for any number of reasons and at any time. Last year no games were held in Jakarta for several months while the election campaign was on. More recently anti terroist exercises caused a game to be called off while the players were warming up on the field.
Other demos have also caused games to be cancelled. Yep, demos featuring lots of rock throwing and fighting with water cannons get to go ahead while football, and be warned 'cos this clip is pretty scary kids, is cancelled because, umm, something may happen.
Had the big cheese from the (greatest country in the history of civilisation), (this comment is (C) of Larry King, Sean Hannity and Miss Piggy), then of course any game would have been called off. Pubescent Persija fans are a well known threat to the person of the 'most powerful man in the world' so we can understand the concerns. *
This Thursday sees Persija due to play Persib. A fixture dripping with hatred on the terraces. As I write this the game is slated to go ahead with Persija fans present but no visiting fans allowed. But that can change.
Persib need to win to keep their slim chances of winning the Indonesia Super League alive. And if they did win in front of Persija's fanatical support at the Bung Karno Stadium what then? Would the orange clad ones stand politely and applaud the visitors off the field?
* To any members of US intelligence who may have stumbled across this paragraph we call this sarcasm.
The way it works is like this. A football match is scheduled months in advance in Jakarta. Closer to the date the home team must apply for permission from security officials to hold the game. Said permission is either granted or not but wait, that is not the end of the matter.
Permission can be withdrawn for any number of reasons and at any time. Last year no games were held in Jakarta for several months while the election campaign was on. More recently anti terroist exercises caused a game to be called off while the players were warming up on the field.
Other demos have also caused games to be cancelled. Yep, demos featuring lots of rock throwing and fighting with water cannons get to go ahead while football, and be warned 'cos this clip is pretty scary kids, is cancelled because, umm, something may happen.
Had the big cheese from the (greatest country in the history of civilisation), (this comment is (C) of Larry King, Sean Hannity and Miss Piggy), then of course any game would have been called off. Pubescent Persija fans are a well known threat to the person of the 'most powerful man in the world' so we can understand the concerns. *
This Thursday sees Persija due to play Persib. A fixture dripping with hatred on the terraces. As I write this the game is slated to go ahead with Persija fans present but no visiting fans allowed. But that can change.
Persib need to win to keep their slim chances of winning the Indonesia Super League alive. And if they did win in front of Persija's fanatical support at the Bung Karno Stadium what then? Would the orange clad ones stand politely and applaud the visitors off the field?
* To any members of US intelligence who may have stumbled across this paragraph we call this sarcasm.
# posted by Me @ 7:34 AM 
