When strangers call for 'THR'<\/p>\n
As I was about to leave home one morning, a man wearing the
\nuniform of a hansip (neighborhood security guard) approached me
\nand said in a rather loud voice,\"Hadiah Lebaran! Hadiah Lebaran!
\n(Idul Fitri presents)\" I had never seen him before. He was
\ndefinitely not our regular hansip, so I ignored him.<\/p>\n
The next day, the courier who had been delivering the monthly
\nwater bill in our area came and gave an envelope to my daughter.
\nHe also asked her, in a rather unpleasant voice, \"Where is my
\nTHR.\"<\/p>\n
And today, someone from the Palyja Water Company came to my
\nhouse and told me that he was there to replace the meter. Why on
\nearth did they have to replace the meter, which was only a couple
\nof years old and was still rust-free? And why should it be done
\nso close to the end of the Ramadhan? The answer became obvious
\nwhen, out of the blue, this guy said to me, \"Your neighbor has
\njust given me a THR.\"<\/p>\n
Oh yes, it is that time of the year again where people talk
\nabout Tunjangan Hari Raya (the Idul Fitri bonus), which is
\nsupposed to be given by an employer to their employees in
\nappreciation of their contribution to the company's performance.
\nOver the years, however, more has been expected of the bonus.<\/p>\n
I admit, I'm not a practicing Muslim. But I'm aware of a
\nMuslim's obligation to share his fortunes and blessings with the
\nfakir (the poor) and the kaum duafa (the disadvantaged). And,
\nyear after year, I am careful to fulfill this obligation.<\/p>\n
But when someone I don't know demands a THR from me, I still
\nhave difficulty accepting it. These people think that, because I
\nat least have a house and a car, I am obliged to give them money
\nor an equivalent.<\/p>\n
As far as I'm concerned, to give or not to give a THR is my
\nprivilege, not my obligation. Why? Because most of these people
\nare not the real kaum duafa. If they are struggling amid the
\ncurrent crisis, I should like to remind them that the crisis
\naffects my family also.<\/p>\n
But, what can I say? The mass media keeps its focus on the
\nplight of the nation's poorest people. Stories on problems in the
\ngovernment's cash assistance scheme are run daily. Statements are
\naired from politicians, scholars and demonstrators, who use the
\npoor to attack government policies. The media seems to have given
\nthe people justification for demanding THR from just about
\nanybody -- by way of gentle reminder, as well as by brute force.<\/p>\n
When will the media take on a different role? When will the
\nnews be spread that, while life gets crueler by the day, there
\nare some who can say,\"I may be poor, but I still have my
\ndignity.\"<\/p>\n
And it is not dignified to demand THR of total strangers.<\/p>\n
But, as life gets more difficult and fewer people can hold
\ntheir heads high, much more will be expected than what is
\nstrictly due. Brace yourselves, down the road I can see more and
\nmore people asking for THR, even when Idul Fitri is long past. -- Zatni Arbi<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/when-strangers-call-for-thr-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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