In Jakarta\u2019s East, along Jalan Raya Bogor, Kramat Jati, a sign\nreading Panti Pijat Tuna Netra \u2018Wahyu\u2019 hangs by the roadside. Its paint\nis dull, the iron frame rusted with age. Yet for Suparwi, 58, the sign\nis not just a marker of a business but a symbol of a decades-long life\nof struggle.<\/p>\n
Behind the modest massage room with two wooden beds and white\ncurtains, Suparwi, a blind masseur, has persisted amid shrinking\nclients, the rise of online massage services, and social assistance\nschemes that he believes are often mis-targeted.<\/p>\n
\u2018What is truly hard is that many people do not touch assistance,\u2019 he\ntold Kompas.com during a visit to his clinic on Wednesday, 20 May\n2026.<\/p>\n
Conversely, there are recipients deemed more self-sufficient who\nstill receive aid. \u2018In my neighbourhood I sometimes feel envious.\nNeighbours get this and that, while I know nothing about it. Perhaps\nbecause I am not registered,\u2019 he said.<\/p>\n
For Suparwi, the main problem lies in inaccurate data. He mentions\nthe decile system used by the government to determine aid recipients.\n\u2018Well, I don\u2019t know how they decide the decile. It feels like most of it\nis by guesswork.\u2019<\/p>\n
He believes on-the-ground verification should be more thorough\nbecause the situation of people with disabilities cannot be equated with\nthe general public. \u2018If a proper survey is done, those living in\nrelatively better houses should not be the priority for aid. Those like\nus often do not receive it.\u2019<\/p>\n
However, he notes many blind people live alone, are single parents,\nor rent homes, and still do not fall into priority categories. He argues\nthat the cost of living for the visually impaired tends to be higher\nthan the general public. \u2018If we have to go somewhere, we often need a\ncompanion, which adds extra costs,\u2019 he said.<\/p>\n
Suparwi\u2019s disappointment also extends to the Jakarta Disability Card\n(KPDJ) programme. He says not all people with disabilities can obtain\nthe card, even among those with similar physical limitations. \u2018There is\nalso the Jakarta Disability Card. But many fellow disabled people who\nshould receive it do not,\u2019 he said.<\/p>\n
He recalls when the programme was launched under Governor Anies\nBaswedan. The government said people with disabilities have higher\nliving needs and require special support. \u2018If it is a disability\nprogramme, it should be accessible to all disabled people, not\nselectively like the poor.\u2019<\/p>\n
According to Suparwi, many blind recipients become weary of handling\nthe bureaucratic processes, which are long and convoluted. Accessing\ngovernment offices is not easy for the blind either. \u2018Just going to a\ngovernment office is a heavy undertaking for us,\u2019 he said.<\/p>\n
Hence, he hopes the government will be more active in the field\nrather than just receiving administrative reports. \u2018My hope is that the\ngovernment truly goes down to the ground, not just taking reports. It\nmust be checked in person.\u2019<\/p>\n
Another blind masseur, Sumadi, 57, also laments the lack of\ngovernment attention to disabled people, especially those working in\ninformal sectors like massage. Speaking to Kompas.com at his massage\nclinic in Gang Keamanan III, Tebet, South Jakarta, on Wednesday, 20 May\n2026, Sumadi said blind masseurs still fight on their own to survive\namid increasing competition.<\/p>\n
\u2018In my view, it is still insufficient. The government does not appear\nto pay enough attention to people with disabilities, including those who\nwork as blind masseurs,\u2019 said Sumadi, a native of Jepara, Central Java.\nHe says the economic situation for blind masseurs has worsened since the\nCovid-19 pandemic, with customers dwindling while the cost of living in\nJakarta rises.<\/p>\n
\u2018There used to be 80 to 100 customers a month. Now it is far lower,\u2019\nhe said. He criticises government attention to blind massage\nprofessionals as lagging behind the growth of modern massage services\nand the proliferation of digital apps. \u2018There are now many online\nmassages. That has eroded customers,\u2019 he said.<\/p>\n
Although he briefly joined GoMassage in 2015, Sumadi says the\nplatform stopped operating during the pandemic. Since then, he has\nrelied on old customers and home visits.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/those-who-struggle-remain-untouched-a-blind-masseuses-confession-yet-to-receive-government-assistance-1779541954", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }