The forgotten veterans<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta\/Makassar\/Surabaya<\/p>\n
War veteran Amat Mukmin still clearly remembers when he took part
\nin the guerrilla struggle against the Dutch in Yogyakarta in
\n1948. Along with hundreds of freedom fighters, the Bantul
\nresident fought the Dutch with any weapon available, including
\nbambu runcing (sharpened bamboo). \"We once burned down a sugar
\ncane plantation belonging to the Dutch,\" he proudly said.<\/p>\n
But, for Amat, now 78, all that seems fruitless now. He feels
\nthe situation in the country has not improved since independence
\nwas proclaimed on Aug. 17 1945. Corruption has been rampant for
\nyears and the gap between the haves and have nots is getting
\nwider.<\/p>\n
The lives of the poor are getting tougher, and Amat, the
\nfather of seven children, is no exception. Amat, who still has to
\ncare for his wife and two children, feels that life for elderly
\npeople like him is hard. He still rides his bicycle along the
\nstreets offering to solder cooking utensils for households. He
\ndoes this as his pension as a veteran of Rp 450,000 (US$47) a
\nmonth is not enough to cover the family expenses. Work is getting
\nharder as fewer people need soldering services.<\/p>\n
However, Amat is more fortunate than a group of dozens of
\nveterans who now live in decrepit houses in Paropo subdistrict,
\nPanakkukang district, Makassar city. They earlier lived in houses
\non other plots of lands in the subdistrict, but they, who helped
\nbring freedom to the country, were evicted in 2003 as a
\ndeveloper, backed by the Supreme Court, claimed that the land
\nbelonged to the company.<\/p>\n
The veterans were granted plots of land by the government on
\nJl. Swadaya in the subdistrict, in March 2004 so that they could
\nbuild houses, but unfortunately, the area is prone to flooding.
\nAs the Independence Day celebrations on Aug. 17 draw near, the
\nveterans feel that they have been treated as second-class
\ncitizens. \"This is the fate of the veterans. We have been
\nforgotten,\" said war veteran, Andi Jemma, 85.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/the-forgotten-veterans-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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