Exodus in a gloomy time<\/p>\n
The country may have been hit by crisis but for the majority
\nof our people the show must go on. The hectic days have arrived
\nwhen people elbow their way into overcrowded buses, trains, cars
\nor any other means of transportation available to return to their
\nfamily village in time to celebrate the Idul Fitri holiday.<\/p>\n
This annual exodus from our larger cities is a part of our
\nculture and makes the celebration of the Moslem post-fasting
\nfestival look much more monumental compared to that of other
\nMoslem countries.<\/p>\n
Three million people journeyed out to the provinces last year
\nfrom Jakarta alone, while the government estimates that as many
\nas 3.5 million may exit the city this year. Most travel to parts
\nof Java or cross the Sunda Strait to Sumatra to celebrate Idul
\nFitri.<\/p>\n
The hardships and inconveniences these people endure during
\ntheir trip to the rural areas of the country might sound
\nunbelievable to newcomers in Indonesia, but for our people the
\nlove for their family is above any sacrifice.<\/p>\n
It is important to try to celebrate all of Idul Fitri, which
\nis called Lebaran here, with the family because it is a time for
\npeople to ask their parents and elders for forgiveness and pay
\ntheir respects to their ancestors by visiting their graves.<\/p>\n
Their stay in their village is also marked by the joy of
\ntelling their relatives how much better off they are following
\ntheir struggles to make ends meet in the urban jungle. To show
\ntheir success, they also present relatives with luxury electronic
\nproducts.<\/p>\n
With this expression of love and the virtue of forgiveness,
\nthe sentimental journey caps people's spiritual cleansing
\nexperiences, which they started at the beginning of the Ramadhan
\nfasting month. And after spending special days with their family,
\nthey always expect to return to their urban home with renewed
\nstrength and a sense of relief.<\/p>\n
But not this year.<\/p>\n
The current financial crisis has victimized regular
\nIndonesians the most. Unskilled workers and street vendors find
\nit difficult to see what the future holds for them, though they
\nknow it will be bleak.<\/p>\n
Their homecoming this time will be marked with a discernibly
\ndecreased ability to spend much money during their visit and an
\nabsence of generous gift-giving since many have recently lost
\ntheir jobs. Some of the luckier among them have been allowed by
\ntheir employers to take a holiday until April, but with no
\nguarantee for better days afterward.<\/p>\n
However bleak their future, many are still determined
\nto encourage relatives to leave their village and accompany them
\nback to the city to find employment. At least, they think, the
\nshinier urban centers promise better living conditions than many
\nrural areas which have been devastated by the long drought. Many
\npeople living in rural areas are not only experiencing food
\nshortages, but are also finding it difficult to get drinking
\nwater.<\/p>\n
With increasing problems foreseen as a result of a zero
\neconomic growth, 20 percent inflation and increasing hunger and
\nunemployment, the inflow of newcomers to Jakarta will undoubtedly
\nworsen the already fearsome social problems experienced in the
\ncapital.<\/p>\n
Minister of Manpower Abdul Latief, after hearing details of
\nthe Jan. 6 draft budget which projected a 4 percent growth, said
\nthat this country would soon have 6.5 million unemployed people.
\nOne can only imagine the impact of a zero growth economy.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/exodus-in-a-gloomy-time-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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