Indonesiantalk.com — South Kalimantan Police, regional leaders hold community clean-up in Banjarmasin
BANJARMASIN — The morning at Lapangan Kamboja on Saturday (Feb. 7) unfolded without the usual trappings of official ceremony. Instead of speeches and parades, hundreds of people gathered for a simple, almost understated purpose: picking up litter, sweeping streets and restoring a shared public space.
Among them were members of the South Kalimantan Regional Leadership Coordination Forum (Forkopimda), bringing together security officials and representatives of the local administration. The community clean-up was held as a follow-up to directions issued by President Prabowo Subianto during a recent National Coordination Meeting, where he emphasized that the state must be visibly present even in matters often considered mundane, such as environmental cleanliness.
The activity began at Lapangan Kamboja before moving along Jalan Veteran, one of Banjarmasin’s main thoroughfares. Taking part were the South Kalimantan Police chief, the commander of the 101/Antasari Military Resort Command, the regional intelligence chief, naval and air force commanders, senior police officials, as well as university students and schoolchildren. The provincial government was represented by the assistant for governance and public welfare.
The South Kalimantan Police chief described the clean-up as a modest action carrying a broader message. By targeting strategic public areas, the initiative sought to underline that cleanliness is not solely the responsibility of sanitation workers or the subject of seasonal campaigns.
“Maintaining a clean and healthy environment is a shared responsibility. It is about discipline and collective awareness,” the police chief said. He added that habits such as not littering should be instilled from an early age, not only through appeals but also by setting an example.
Community clean-up activities are not new in South Kalimantan. However, the full participation of Forkopimda members lent the event a symbolic weight. It conveyed the idea that the presence of the state is not always expressed through speeches or grand policies, but also through brooms, trash bags and collective work in public spaces.
By the end of the morning, Jalan Veteran appeared noticeably cleaner. Yet the organizers stressed that the goal extended beyond a tidier street. What they hope to foster is a lasting habit — the understanding that a clean city is not the result of a single day of service, but of everyday awareness sustained over time.
