Week of spending and sharing<\/p>\n
Department stores and almost all other retail outlets across
\nthe country have been ringing up record sales during the past two
\nweeks as people gear up to celebrate the Idul Fitri holidays next
\nweek.<\/p>\n
Bus companies, the state railways, ferry services between Java
\nand Sumatra and airlines have been fully booked by people who
\nwant to join the annual exodus from Jakarta, which is popularly
\nknown as mudik -- the tradition of spending the annual Idul Fitri
\nholidays at one's home village. Hotels in Bali and resort areas
\naround Jakarta have also been reserved by well-off families from
\nJakarta. Bookings for outbound travel to Singapore, Hong Kong and
\nChina have also been on the rise.<\/p>\n
While the exodus has yet to reach its peak on Friday and
\nSaturday, the eve of Idul Fitri, there is already heavy traffic
\nalong Java's main highways and those to the Merak ferry port
\ncrossing between Java and the Sumatra islands. Long lines of
\nwould-be Idul Fitri revelers have been seen at bus and railway
\nstations. Similar scenes, though on a smaller scale, have also
\nbeen taking place in many other provincial cities as people
\nreturn to their home towns.<\/p>\n
This is the time of the year when Muslims in urban areas will
\ntry, whatever their circumstances, to spend several days in their
\nrural hometowns, taking time out with their relatives, sharing
\ntheir material affluence and experiences in the cities and
\nshowing off the fruits of their labor.<\/p>\n
So important is mudik to many people that company employees
\nand civil servants often risk being dismissed or harshly
\ndisciplined for taking extra days off if they are not given leave
\nlonger than the two-day official holidays usually allotted for
\nthe Idul Fitri celebrations.<\/p>\n
The government has rightly decided to give civil servants the
\nentire next week off to allow Idul Fitri holidaymakers to better
\nenjoy their vacation. Most companies' leave policies are also in
\nline with the government's because managers realize commercial
\nactivities will anyway be severely restricted as banks stay shut
\nover the break.<\/p>\n
Mudik is so inseparable from Idul Fitri that anything that
\nobstructs people's enjoyment of it, official or otherwise, is
\nlikely to trigger a big backlash. No wonder most companies, even
\nthose in dire financial straits, always go all-out to provide
\nIdul Fitri allowances so as to enable their employees to
\ncelebrate holidays back home.<\/p>\n
Fortunately, this year there has not yet been a single case
\nof industrial action related to the allowances. Past experiences
\nhave taught employers that the matter is too sensitive to be
\nignored.<\/p>\n
The 20-day-old President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's United
\nIndonesia Development Cabinet also is fully aware of the
\nimportance of Idul Fitri celebrations and an orderly, peaceful
\nmudik. Ensuring adequate supplies of basic necessities and
\ngeneral consumer goods at fairly stable prices and that the
\ntransport network runs without hitches has been at the top of the
\nCabinet's agenda during recent days.<\/p>\n
Idul Fitri with its mudik tradition is also the time of the
\nyear when many well-off families in Jakarta, deprived of the help
\nof their maids, travel overseas or conduct a mudik of sorts to
\nBali or resort areas around Jakarta and Bandung.<\/p>\n
And for the people who stay in Jakarta, next week will be a
\nrare occasion in the year to enjoy a quiet city with easily
\nflowing traffic as the exodus temporarily cuts down the city's
\npopulation by up to one-third.<\/p>\n
All this movement shows significant progress in the country's
\nprocess of being increasingly transformed from a basically
\nagricultural, rural-based economy into a modern, urban-based one.
\nThis in turn enriches the celebration of Idul Fitri and mudik
\nwith cultural, social and economic dimensions, in addition to
\ntheir religious and spiritual meanings.<\/p>\n
The practice of buying presents for the Idul Fitri
\ncelebrations and during the week-long holiday invariably
\ngenerates a high market demand for goods and services, thereby
\nfurther boosting private consumption, which after the 1997
\neconomic crisis has been one of the two locomotives of the
\neconomy. In fact, sales for Idul Fitri celebrations alone usually
\naccount for almost 50 percent of the annual turnovers of
\ndepartment stores.<\/p>\n
The exodus from urban centers to the villages also serves to
\nenhance the redistribution of income as city folk share their
\nearnings with relatives and at the same time inject a strong dose
\nof purchasing power into the rural economy.<\/p>\n
Outsiders may shake their heads observing how people, in
\ndefiance of simple logic, should struggle to such lengths and
\noften go through so much pains only to spend a few days in their
\nhome villages. But given the many positive dimensions of the
\ncustom this is a tradition that is worthy of being sustained in
\nspite of the heavily challenging logistics.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/week-of-spending-and-sharing-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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