Gunungkidul exiles send Rp 100m a day back home<\/p>\n
Sri Wahyuni, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta<\/p>\n
Gunungkidul, known for its infertile land in a mountainous area
\nin Yogyakarta province, has been flooded with postal money orders
\nof more than Rp 100 million a day for the past few weeks in the
\nlead up to Idul Fitri and Christmas celebrations.<\/p>\n
Over the last two weeks, a total of more than Rp 1 billion has
\nbeen sent through the postal service, \"Gunungkidul people-in-
\nexile\", to their relatives in the regency, a staff member of
\nstate-owned PT Pos Indonesia in Wonosari said recently.<\/p>\n
Edward Edjo, the supervisor of the service unit at the
\nGunungkidul Post Office, said that more than 250 sheets of postal
\nmoney orders were being sent to Gunungkidul each day. Most
\nsenders were living in greater Jakarta though money had been
\ncoming in from Bandung in West Java, Surabaya in East Java and
\nSemarang in Central Java.<\/p>\n
\"Like previous years, we expect to receive some Rp 3.5 billion
\nthis month,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The amount of postal money orders has long been an annual
\nphenomenon in Gunungkidul, especially ahead of the Idul Fitri and
\nChristmas holidays. Last year, for example, the amount of postal
\nmoney orders sent to the region in just one month totaled 3,803
\nsheets worth some Rp 3.2 billion.<\/p>\n
\"Most of the money was sent to the subdistricts of Ponjong,
\nSemin, and Karangmojo,\" said Edjo, adding that most of this
\nyear's postal money orders were also sent to the same regions.<\/p>\n
\"We expect to receive more this year because we have a
\nrelatively better economic condition than last year,\" Iwan Busro
\nHasan, head of the media coverage section of the Gunungkidul
\ngovernment's office, told the Post by phone.<\/p>\n
Iwan said that Gunungkidul's infertile lands had forced its
\nresidents to work hard to survive.<\/p>\n
\"A majority of youths, including high school graduates, have
\ngone out to change their lives and to develop their futures,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
According to Iwan, some 30 percent of the regency's total
\npopulation of 753.000 had left the area to strive for a better
\nlife in other cities -- 90 percent of those for Jakarta or its
\nsurrounds.<\/p>\n
Of the 30 percent, said Iwan, half of them came from the sub-
\ndistricts of Ponjong, Semin, and Karangmojo. Some 50 percent of
\nthe total worked as household servants and factory labors, while
\nothers had become successful businesspeople.<\/p>\n
Iwan said it was not surprising, therefore, that the region
\nhad been receiving some 100 to 150 postal money orders a month.<\/p>\n
\"A Gunungkidul person who has lived in Jakarta for a long
\ntime, for example, established some three years ago a training
\ncenter here where Gunungkidul people are able to learn how to
\nstart running Bakmi Jawa (Javanese noodle cooking) businesses in
\nGreater Jakarta,\" Iwan said.<\/p>\n
The local government, too, according to Iwan, had established
\na similar training center for household servants two years ago,
\nthrough the local workers office in cooperation with local non-
\ngovernment organizations.<\/p>\n
\"We do realize what they could contribute to the region,
\nespecially in increasing the people's wealth,\" Iwan said, adding
\nthat many of the Gunungkidul families had enjoyed the benefit of
\nhaving relatives in Jakarta and other prosperous cities.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/gunungkidul-exiles-send-rp-100m-a-day-back-home-1447893297",
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"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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