Ramadhan closes down some businesses and creates more<\/p>\n
Joko E.H. Anwar
\nContributor
\nJakarta<\/p>\n
Emilia, 32, seemed to be in a hurry on Thursday afternoon. She
\ndropped by her next-door neighbor's house in an underprivileged
\narea in Kota, Central Jakarta, on her way to meet a business
\npartner.<\/p>\n
\"I have to meet this man who promised me a space to open a
\ncigarette kiosk,\" Emilia told The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
A single mother, she wanted to make sure that somebody would
\nlook after her five-year old daughter while she was away. Emilia
\nonly gave a faint smile when asked about the father.<\/p>\n
Asking her neighbor to look after her daughter has been part
\nof her daily routine for the past two years, ever since she
\nstarted work as a waitress at Stadium discotheque, one of the
\nmost well-known night spots in town. She usually dropped her
\ndaughter off in the late afternoon and picked her up again the
\nnext morning.<\/p>\n
That Thursday, the second day of Ramadhan, however, was
\nslightly different. She would not go to her usual workplace
\nsince, as a result of Governor's Decree No. 108\/2001, most
\nentertainment spots must close their businesses during the Muslim
\nfasting month. Violators of the decree may lose their business
\nlicenses.<\/p>\n
The city government issued the decree after being pressured by
\nseveral hard-line Muslim groups, which have a history of
\ncommitting a series of violent and destructive attacks on night
\nspots, especially during Ramadhan.<\/p>\n
The decree affects nightclubs, discotheques, bars, saunas,
\nmassage parlors, arcades and health spas. Other businesses, such
\nas cafes, may only operate from 8.30 p.m. to 12.30 a.m. and are
\nrequired to \"adjust\" their services to accommodate restrictions
\nof the Muslim holy month. This may therefore mean no alcohol and
\nno live music.<\/p>\n
Of course, not all of these businesses follow the rules and
\nthere are some who ignore the decree entirely, running their
\nbusinesses as usual.<\/p>\n
Still, thousands of workers employed at night spots and
\nentertainment centers that have followed the decree, have had to
\nfind other ways to make money during Ramadhan.<\/p>\n
\"I know it's a bit late for me to start a new business now.
\nMany of my friends started theirs a long time ago,\" Emilia said.<\/p>\n
She added that many of her colleagues had opened small, cheap
\nrestaurants known here as warteg, or they had opened small
\nroadside food stalls serving fried catfish, pecel lele.<\/p>\n
\"They have opened side businesses not only because of
\nRamadhan, but for insurance also, as Muslim groups often attack
\nplaces like our workplace,\" Emilia said.<\/p>\n
While several entertainment businesses, including Emilia's
\nemployer, keep paying their workers, the closing of the
\nbusinesses seriously hurt the employees as they make a living by
\nsupplementing their income with tips from patrons.<\/p>\n
Emilia, who has been working at the discotheque for almost two
\nyears, only receives Rp 500,000 a month from her employer.
\nHowever, she can earn about Rp 3-4 million from tips.<\/p>\n
No business means no tips. For Emilia, this also means she
\nwill not have enough money to cover monthly expenses, including
\nrent for a 2.5x4 meter room for which she pays Rp 300,000 a
\nmonth.<\/p>\n
\"I can no longer send money to my parents in Bekasi, either,\"
\nshe said, admitting that she has lost a lot of pride as a result.<\/p>\n
Survival for those who lose their jobs during the fasting
\nmonth also takes other forms, and many employees of night spots
\nwho rent rooms in the Kota area choose to go back to their home
\nvillages when Ramadhan arrives.<\/p>\n
\"They say living costs are much cheaper back home and they
\ndon't have to pay rent, since they can stay with their families,\"
\nsaid Anto, 50, one of many residents in the Kota area who lease
\nrooms to employees of nearby night spots.<\/p>\n
Yadi Rosadi, 23, a waiter at Stadium discotheque, has chosen
\nto stay at home all day so as to spend as little money as
\npossible.<\/p>\n
\"I still have my savings at the company,\" Yadi said,
\nexplaining that the company strongly urged its employees to save
\na portion of their monthly salaries with the company accountant
\nspecifically for Ramadhan.<\/p>\n
\"We have to save at least Rp 50,000 at the company. Some of us
\nnever take home our monthly pay and withdraw it only during
\nRamadhan, because we can live off tips,\" Yadi said.<\/p>\n
As some people say, there is a silver lining behind every
\ncloud. While Ramadhan causes many night spot employees to lose
\ntheir source of income for the month, it also provides
\nopportunities to make money.<\/p>\n
The traditional market at Jl. Bendungan Hilir, Central
\nJakarta, is one of many spots in the capital where food stalls
\nsell traditional foods and drinks for breaking the fast. Most
\nIndonesian Muslims break their fasts with sweet beverages and
\nfoods, such as assorted jelly served with coconut milk and sugar,
\nwhich are often sold at these strategically located stalls.<\/p>\n
These seasonal food stalls bring in really good business.<\/p>\n
Nining, 30, a mother of three, could not hide her joy when
\nasked about her seasonal snacks business at the market.<\/p>\n
\"Thank God, (the business) is doing very well,\" she said. \"I'm
\nonly a housewife the rest of the year, but during the fasting
\nmonth, I can make more money than my husband does,\" she added.<\/p>\n
Nining said she could make almost Rp 100,000 a day by selling
\nvarious beverages and snacks, such as kolak (banana cooked in
\ncoconut milk and palm sugar) and candil (a beverage made from
\nrice flour, coconut milk and palm sugar).<\/p>\n
\"Today I have to make some more food quickly because they all
\nsold out,\" Nining said happily.<\/p>\n
Nining's happiness was also mirrored by another seller at the
\nmarket, Rita, who sells palm dates during Ramadhan.<\/p>\n
\"With this business, I can make sure that my kids will have
\nnew clothes for Lebaran (the day of celebration at the end of the
\nfasting month),\" Rita said.<\/p>",
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