'Orange Squad' Moves in Once More to Clean Up After Anti-Ahok Rally
Jakarta. The capital's cleanup crew, known as the Orange Squad, had to move in once more to clean up the mess left behind by protestors at the National Monument, or Monas, in Central Jakarta following another mass rally against Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama on Friday (02/12).
This time, the rally ended with the tens of thousands of protesters dispersing peacefully in the afternoon, unlike the previous rally last month, which descended into violence.
A BeritaSatu.com reporter observed the Orange Squad working hard to remove discarded newspapers, empty water bottles, plastic bags and other forms of garbage in and around the Monas complex. Light rain did not discourage the workers from performing their task.
During the rally, volunteers asked protesters to deposit their trash in designated areas to ease the cleaning crew's job.
These volunteers also carried plastic bags to collect scattered remains of plastic bottles and glasses, papers, food boxes, or packs of cigarettes. They have also advised protesters from stepping onto the parks along the streets they passed.
Marsigit, head of the Central Jakarta cleaning unit, said around 1,100 workers were deployed to clean up the area, assisted by sweeper vehicles and trucks.
He said about 92 tons of trash was removed from inside the Monas area alone.
"[What we collected] outside has not been counted yet," he said.
Marsigit said discarded newspaper cannot be removed by sweeper vehicles and that it must be done by hand.
"In line with the acting governor's instruction, everything must be removed today," he said.
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