Funeral homes provide burial services<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): \"Show me the manner in which a nation or a
\ncommunity cares for its dead and I will measure with mathematical
\nexactness the tender sympathies of its people, their respect for
\nthe law of the land and their loyalty to high ideals...,\" wrote
\nW.E. Gladstone and used in an advertisement for funeral homes in
\nthe Jakarta Yellow Pages.<\/p>\n
Generally, the wish of the family of the deceased is \"To give
\ntheir best at the end of someone's life,\" as put by T.L.
\nHutagalung of Mawar Putih (White Rose) Foundation which provides
\nburial services.<\/p>\n
Usually, if someone dies, the family is bewildered and rarely
\nknows what to do. At that critical moment, the service of a
\nfuneral home which provides burial services is urgently sought.<\/p>\n
\"Besides, sometimes the family of the deceased also faces the
\nproblem of inexperience. For example, they don't know how to deal
\nwith the City Cemetery Agency. With the assistance of a funeral
\nhome or a foundation, the problem can be solved,\" Hutagalung
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
He explained that usually if it is a family member who calls
\nfor a hearse, they have to wait for hours before it comes.<\/p>\n
\"But, if it is us who calls for the hearse, it will come in a
\nminute,\" Hutagalung said, adding that the secret is that a
\nfuneral home or a foundation has the experience in handling such
\ncircumstances.<\/p>\n
A funeral home could either be an independent body or part of
\na hospital where it has its premises. A funeral home or a
\nfoundation can provide a proper funeral as well as offer almost
\nall kinds of services, from supplying a coffin to transportation
\nand cremation. Other services include embalming and physical
\nrestoration as offered by Singapore-based Trinity Casket Pte.
\nLtd. which advertises in Jakarta's Yellow Pages.<\/p>\n
The funeral homes and foundations can indeed be a friend in
\nneed. Some of them are charity organizations which provide free
\nservices and free coffins for families who cannot afford them.<\/p>\n
Social aims<\/p>\n
\"Basically, these kinds of homes and foundations are socially
\noriented. I once provided a free coffin and transportation to an
\nold poor man. I didn't receive a cent for that, but I received a
\nthank you letter from his family. For me the letter is worth more
\nthan if I received Rp 1 million,\" said Hutagalung.<\/p>\n
It is ideal to be charitable and at the same time to be
\ncommercial. Suparman of the Dana Kami Foundation said the money
\nfrom rich families who buy coffins from the foundation is used to
\nhelp poor families.<\/p>\n
The fact is, there are some hospitals which closely cooperate
\nwith particular commercial funeral homes. This kind of
\ncooperation prevents other foundations or homes from meeting
\ntheir charitable objectives.<\/p>\n
Suparman said often members of his foundation who are unable
\nto lay out the body of their loved in their own homes have
\ndifficulties if they want to arrange for the body to be kept for
\nseveral days in any of the funeral parlors annexed to hospital
\nmorgues.<\/p>\n
\"If they want to use the hospital's funeral parlor,
\nthey have to buy the coffin from the funeral home which has a
\ncontract with the hospital,\" he said, \"The problem is, such
\nhospitals sell the coffin at prices higher than average.\"<\/p>\n
Hutagalung confirmed Suparman's statement, adding that some
\ncommercial funeral homes give commissions to hospital employees
\nwho can sell their coffins and other services to families using
\nthe hospitals' funeral parlors.<\/p>\n
\"Sometimes, the tip can be as big as 10 percent of the price.
\nSo, it has become a common practice in many hospitals in
\nJakarta,\" said Hutagalung, adding that Indonesians of Chinese
\norigin are especially targeted because according to a Chinese
\nsuperstition they cannot bargain when they buy a coffin.<\/p>\n
Suparman said he has sent letters to the authority concerning
\nthe problem, but so far there has been no response.<\/p>\n
\"Because of such practices, coffin prices can be as high as
\nmillions of rupiah,\" Hutagalung noted.<\/p>\n
How do the funeral homes or foundations operate? The Jakarta
\nPost interviewed several foundations in Jakarta, Bandung and one
\nin Singapore to give you an idea.<\/p>\n
* Naga Sakti Foundation:<\/p>\n
This foundation provides a wide range of services, from the
\nsale of coffins, transportation of the deceased, the handling of
\npaperwork such as death certificates, and licenses for
\ntransporting the deceased to anywhere in the world, cremation,
\nkeeping the deceased at home or at a funeral home, and religious
\nceremonies. Everything, except the supplying grave itself.<\/p>\n
\"We can help families of the deceased to find the right
\ncemetery, but still they have to arrange the prices with the City
\nCemetery Agency themselves,\" Mariana of Naga Sakti told the Post.<\/p>\n
Located in Jl. Mangga Besar VIII, the foundation can transport
\nbodies to anywhere inside Indonesia and even abroad.<\/p>\n
\"We have for example transported a body to China,\" said
\nMariana.<\/p>\n
The foundation does not have a funeral parlor, and for the
\ntime being cooperates with hospitals which have the facilities
\nsuch as the Husada Hospital and the Dharmais Cancer Hospital,
\nboth in West Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Mariana said her foundation sells coffins of various kinds and
\nqualities. There are topang coffins -- meaning simple caskets
\nmade in Indonesia -- Jepara ones which are richly carved, Siupan
\nwhich is Chinese in style with decorations of Chinese symbols
\nsuch as the dragon and phoenix, and imported ones from the United
\nStates.<\/p>\n
\"The American ones are beautiful. Their handles are plated
\nwith gold and furnished with embroidered pillows and blankets,\"
\nMariana said, adding that the minimal price of such a coffin is
\naround Rp 10 million (US$4,545.45).<\/p>\n
Prices of Indonesian coffins range from Rp 400,000 to Rp 10
\nmillion.<\/p>\n
Naga Sakti, which caters to people of all religions and offers
\nfree services for those who cannot afford to pay, provides
\nservices to around 80 to 100 people annually.<\/p>\n
* Bunga Kamboja and Dana Kami:<\/p>\n
Bunga Kamboja and Dana Kami foundations also provide almost
\nall kinds of services except arranging graves.<\/p>\n
As foundations, they have a membership system but also cater
\nto non-members. If a member dies, his or her family does not have
\nto spend any money for the services provided by the foundations.
\nBut they do have to arrange the grave site themselves.<\/p>\n
\"We give the family of the deceased a `mourning' allowance
\nwhich ranges from Rp 30,000 to Rp 60,000. We provide coffins,
\ntransportation and all care of the deceased such as bathing, and
\nconduct religious ceremonies, all for free if the deceased was
\none of our members,\" said Susan of Bunga Kamboja.<\/p>\n
Dana Kami, located in Senen, Central Jakarta, does not pay a
\n\"mourning\" allowance but instead gives daily staples such as rice
\nand sugar.<\/p>\n
\"We also cater to non-members. But they have to pay, for
\nexample, Rp 225,000 for the bathing, shroud, religious ceremony
\nand transportation of a deceased Moslem,\" Susan said.<\/p>\n
Both Bunga Kamboja and Dana Kami sell coffins.<\/p>\n
\"If they want first quality coffins, they have to pay Rp
\n325,000. For second quality, it's Rp 195,000 and for third
\nquality Rp 175,000. There is an additional Rp 50,000 fee for
\ntransporting the body to the cemetery,\" said Suparman of Dana
\nKami.<\/p>\n
To be a member of the Pasar Minggu-based Bunga Kamboja
\nFoundation, one should pay Rp 700 per month. Currently the
\nfoundation has 100,000 members in Jakarta alone.<\/p>\n
\"We have a big membership because ministries like the Ministry
\nof Transportation and the office of the Secretary of State as
\nwell as the TVRI state-owned television have joined our
\nmembership,\" Susan, Bunga Kamboja's operational head, explained.<\/p>\n
Suparman said Dana Kami, which has five hearses, divides its
\nmembership into three categories. Members of the first category
\npay Rp 44,000 in annual fees for the member's whole family and
\nanother Rp 1,200 in monthly fees per person.<\/p>\n
Second category members pay Rp 21,000 in annual family fees
\nand Rp 850 monthly per person.<\/p>\n
Third category members are charged Rp 14,000 in annual family
\nfees and Rp 500 per person per month. The foundation has 30,640
\nmembers in Greater Jakarta.<\/p>\n
\"We always accept requests from churches and mosques to help
\nthem provide free services to their poor members. It's part of
\nour responsibility,\" said Suparman.<\/p>\n
* Bumi Baru Foundation:<\/p>\n
This Bandung-based foundation provides not only coffins and a
\nhearse, but also attends to the corpse and arranges the necessary
\nburial paperwork. Apart from that, it can also arrange the
\nplacement of an obituary in newspapers.<\/p>\n
The coffins available at the foundation, which was established
\nby the Indonesian Christian Churches in 1969, are made either of
\nwood or fiberglass, with prices up to Rp 6.3 million.<\/p>\n
All children's coffins are made of wood and are sold for
\nbetween Rp 140,000 and Rp 800,000 each. Carved ones are available
\nfor an additional Rp 20,000.<\/p>\n
A coffin made of six-centimeter thick teak for an adult is
\nsold for between Rp 2.5 and Rp 5 million. The prices of ones made
\nfrom thinner teak or of other types of wood vary from Rp 260,000
\nto Rp 2 million.<\/p>\n
The most expensive coffins, which costs Rp 6.3 million each,
\nare made of fiberglass. There are four styles of coffins made of
\nthis material: the Asian, European, semi-American and American,
\nwith prices starting from Rp 1.7 million.<\/p>\n
According to Tosin, who has worked for the foundation for 26
\nyears, most people buy coffins which cost less than Rp 500,000 if
\nthe bodies are to be cremated. But they prefer coffins with
\nprices of more than Rp 1 million if the bodies are to be buried.<\/p>\n
The prices do not include extras such as flowers, a cross, or
\nsatin clothes, which altogether cost more than Rp 150,000. The
\nfoundation also sells socks, gloves, perfume and make-up for the
\nbodies, which can be purchased at Rp 100,000.<\/p>\n
Tosin said the foundation does not provide cremation services,
\nadding that crematoriums usually charge Rp 300,000 for a
\ncremation.<\/p>\n
There are three rooms in Bumi Baru Foundation building where
\nthe deceased is laid out for family and friends to pay their last
\nrespects, and then the body is transported to the cemetery or
\ncrematorium.<\/p>\n
The transportation fee is Rp 50,000, but if the body is to be
\ntaken to another city, there is an additional fee. The fee for
\nthe transportation of a body from Bandung to Jakarta, for
\nexample, is Rp 300,000.<\/p>\n
Tosin said that the foundation does not embalm the body
\nbecause usually it is buried or cremated two or three days after
\nthe person dies. Embalming is needed if the funeral is more than
\nthree days after death. In that case, the Bandung Health Office
\noffers the service for Rp 150,000, according to Tosin.<\/p>\n
* Permaba:<\/p>\n
Unlike Bumi Baru, which offers services to Protestants only,
\nthe Bandung Society Social Organization (Permaba) deals with
\nthose of other religions as well: Moslems, Catholics and
\nBuddhists.<\/p>\n
For Moslems, Permaba provides keranda (a bier) and a white
\nshroud or kain kafan to wrap the body in, instead of coffins.<\/p>\n
Moslems do not use coffins as they believe that since they are
\ncreated from soil, human beings must become one with soil when
\nthey die, so that they can return to their original form.<\/p>\n
The organization will also attend to the deceased's body.<\/p>\n
\"But Moslems prefer to treat the body in their house and lay
\nit out there before burial. There are only a few of them who ask
\nfor our service. If they do, what they need is a hearse to
\ntransport the body to the cemetery,\" Permaba, secretary Vimala
\nPuspita, said.<\/p>\n
The organization charges Rp 30,000 for the hearse.<\/p>\n
Coffins are available for between Rp 100,000 to Rp 5 million
\nfor non-Moslem clients. This includes extras like satin clothes,
\nflowers and a cross.<\/p>\n
\"Most people buy coffins which cost less than Rp 1 million,\"
\nshe said.<\/p>\n
Established in 1946, Permaba provides three rooms where people
\npay their last respects before the deceased is buried. The rental
\nfor a room is Rp 25,000 per day.<\/p>\n
* Priangan Social Foundation:<\/p>\n
Another Bandung-based body offering similar services is the
\nPriangan Social Foundation, which has been in the business since
\n1979.<\/p>\n
There are 10 rooms in the foundation's building where the
\nbodies are laid out. A room is available for between Rp 40,000
\nand Rp 50,000 per day, depending on the size, an executive of the
\nfoundation, Usman Agustadi, said.<\/p>\n
The foundation does not provide any religious services, which
\ncan cost more than the burial service. According to Usman, a
\nBuddhist family might spend more than Rp 1 million to hire a
\ngroup of prayers, who would pray for several nights under what is
\ncalled the caici ritual. There are about 10 women in a group.<\/p>\n
Lea Pamungkas, a client of the foundation, said that five
\nyears ago, she spent Rp 7 million on arranging her grandmother's
\nburial.<\/p>\n
\"I think it was fair that we should spend that much money
\nbecause the whole ceremony lasted for 10 days,\" she said.<\/p>\n
* Trinity Casket:<\/p>\n
Freddie Choo, managing director of the Singapore-based Trinity
\nCasket Pte. Ltd. which advertises in Jakarta's Yellow Pages, told
\nthe Post that he advertised in the Yellow Pages because he is
\nlooking for the opportunity to expand his business in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Choo believes there is a market for his business in Indonesia
\nbecause Trinity has modern facilities and advanced methods of
\nembalming and says they can upgrade the services in Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Although Trinity is not actively seeking local partners to set
\nup a joint venture to open a branch here, the company says it is
\nopen to offers. It has already had Indonesian customers using its
\nservices to transport the bodies of their loved ones who died in
\nSingapore.<\/p>\n
\"For the bereaved families, whose loved ones have been treated
\nin some of Singapore's major hospitals, we would undertake
\neverything to ensure that the body be sent back home to Indonesia
\nat a budget the family can afford,\" Choo said.<\/p>\n
He said many Indonesians have used Trinity's services because
\nit also provides specialist male and female embalmers who are
\nexperienced in long term preservation of human bodies.<\/p>\n
\"For bodies that need to be transported back to Indonesia, the
\npaperwork and other formal arrangements may take some time and it
\nis important for good embalming to be done so that the body does
\nnot decay by the time it reaches home,\" Choo explained.<\/p>\n
Trinity's consultant Frank Malabed was the one who preserved
\nPhilippine's ex-President Marcos and his mother.<\/p>\n
\"And, since 1988 the bodies have remained intact,\" Choo said.<\/p>\n
Trinity has also specialist lady embalmers who can help embalm
\nfemale bodies because some clients would prefer that the bodies
\nof their female family members not be touched by unknown male
\nembalmers.<\/p>\n
The company, whose yearly gross takings reach about S$750,000,
\nalso provides restoration services to deceased victims of
\naccidents or illnesses if the appearance has been marred.<\/p>\n
Trinity provides almost anything, although it does not erect
\ntombs. It offers various packages with prices ranging from a few
\nhundred Singapore dollars to tens of thousands depending on the
\ntypes of caskets and services and facilities used. (als\/pet\/sim)<\/p>",
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