A new trend?<\/p>\n
Now that the holidays have passed and the celebrating is over,
\nJakarta has begun returning to normal. On Tuesday, according to
\none newspaper report, nearly 46,000 people arrived at the
\nPulogadung bus station after a long and grueling journey from
\nvarious regions of Java. Huge crowds were also reported to have
\npacked other bus terminals and railway stations. Officials
\nestimate that most everything in the city should be back to
\nnormal by today.<\/p>\n
The city's return to its usual state is an occasion for mixed
\nfeelings. On one hand many will miss the brief respite from the
\nchronic traffic jams and the jostling for space that is so
\ncharacteristic of Jakarta. On the other, for many this means that
\nbusiness can now get back on track. Government offices, banks and
\nshops will open up and be regularly staffed to serve the public.<\/p>\n
Of course, this kind of seasonal movement is nothing strange
\nto Jakarta. Every year around the great Islamic holidays of Idul
\nFitri, also known as Lebaran, the same phenomenon occurs. What
\nstrikes us is the present tendency for this to happen around all
\nmajor holidays.<\/p>\n
In a sense, it is to be expected. Economic development has
\nbrought about greater affluence and more Indonesians than ever
\nare enjoying incomes that allow them to take their holidays away
\nfrom home. A more extensive road network and more satisfactory
\nair and sea transport facilities make it possible for people to
\ntravel in relative comfort to even the most remote areas of
\nIndonesia.<\/p>\n
This phenomenon, however, invites a number of questions.
\nFirst, will the trend towards longer holidays become routine? Are
\nwe going to see similar shifts in population during every major
\nholiday, or every time two or more official holidays occur in a
\nrow? Second, is this kind of behavior in line with our objective
\nof becoming a developed, modern nation?<\/p>\n
One can imagine the frustration of a modern business
\nexecutive, who, once or twice a year, or perhaps more often, is
\nfaced with a personnel vacuum during every extended holiday.<\/p>\n
The questions are worth pondering, especially since it is the
\nstated intention of the authorities, led by President Soeharto
\nhimself, to establish a greater sense of discipline in
\nIndonesians. Indeed, it is difficult to imagine how we are ever
\ngoing to build a modern society without a proper sense of
\ndiscipline, from the upper echelons of society down to the
\nlayman.<\/p>\n
It has been argued that on certain occasions long vacations
\nare unavoidable, especially at Idul Fitri, when tradition demands
\nthat younger people pay their respects to their elders and
\nforgiveness be asked and offered to friends and relatives.<\/p>\n
If this is the case, we believe the government should regulate
\nbusiness and civil service activities so that the drive towards
\nmodernity and the demands of tradition are made to fit each
\nother. But extending vacations on each and every holiday seems
\nrather extravagant for a country in the process of development
\nand in the midst of a national discipline drive.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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