Who can stop people from 'mudik' for Idul Fitri holiday?<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): It may have officials throwing up in their hands
\nin frustration, but the annual exodus to hometowns for the Idul
\nFitri celebration is a hard-earned right which cannot be denied.<\/p>\n
So says noted psychologist Sartono Mukadis in defending the
\nessential meanings of the arduous journey home, known as mudik.<\/p>\n
People need breaks from their mundane daily routines. They
\nalso need to return to the places they belong, their roots, to
\nrenew relationships and share their feelings and experiences with
\nrelatives and friends, he said.<\/p>\n
\"There is nothing wrong with people visiting their relatives
\nin their hometowns during the holidays. Nobody, including
\ngovernment officials, has the right to prevent them from doing
\nso.\"<\/p>\n
His words may fail to quiet the anxiety of many, particularly
\nthose bureaucrats who panic whenever Idul Fitri rolls around on
\nthe calendar.<\/p>\n
High-ranking officials make a perennial appeal to people to
\nstay put in Jakarta.<\/p>\n
It does not hold much sway with Sartono.<\/p>\n
\"For me, it is a very narrow-minded view. They really don't
\nunderstand what mudik means to those people.\"<\/p>\n
Many Jakartans and residents of other major cities hail from
\nrural areas in Java, Sumatra, Madura and other provinces.<\/p>\n
\"They have been working hard all the year in the hustle and
\nbustle of Jakarta, far from their warm and extended family
\ncircles in their home villages,\" Sartono said.<\/p>\n
Most of them have poor educational backgrounds and work
\nexperience, putting them at a disadvantage in the competitive job
\nmarket in major cities.<\/p>\n
They subsist on low-paid jobs as factory workers, laborers,
\nstreet vendors, servants or other menial positions in the
\ninformal sector.<\/p>\n
\"These people endure hardship and stressful lives in big
\ncities, and they badly need a time to withdraw from their
\nproblems. Idul Fitri is the most appropriate time to do so.\"<\/p>\n
After the Ramadhan fasting month, a period for Moslems to
\npurify their body and soul, Idul Fitri serves as an important
\noccasion for them to express their gratitude to God, their
\nparents and other family members.<\/p>\n
It also has a social function to improve human relationships
\nthrough extending forgiveness, contacting relatives and friends
\nand other activities to enhance kinship and communal bonds.<\/p>\n
\"With such high moral and social values, it is not surprising
\nthat people are willing to risk their lives so they can celebrate
\nIdul Fitri at home,\" Sartono said.<\/p>\n
It also has psychological benefits.<\/p>\n
People rely heavily on their families for social and emotional
\nsupport. Frequent and close contact with relatives -- which makes
\nthis exchange of support possible -- is an important aspect.<\/p>\n
Emotional support, especially in the degree people receive it
\nfrom those closest to them, provides an extremely important
\nbuffer against life-stresses that threaten health and mental
\nwell-being, Sartono commented.<\/p>\n
\"Those who celebrate the holidays with their families in their
\nhometowns often receive such support, which is important for them
\nto survive in big cities.\"<\/p>\n
Difficulties faced by people in traveling home pales compared
\nto the benefits they gain, Sartono noted.<\/p>\n
Millions of travelers pack buses, trains and other vehicles
\nevery year for the journey home. They are willing to spend the
\nnight in cramped bus or train stations to get precious tickets.<\/p>\n
Others, especially government officials and cosmopolitan city
\ndwellers, often dismiss the behavior as irrational and a waste of
\ntime and money, maintained Sartono.<\/p>\n
\"This happens because they view it from their own
\nperspectives. It is time for us to reverse this perception. Let's
\nthink about this social phenomenon from the travelers' point of
\nview.\"<\/p>\n
For them, the end result far outweighs any hardship along the
\nway. \"We can feel their happiness when they successfully catch a
\ntrain home.\"<\/p>\n
Instead of griping about problems, government officials should
\nplan ahead for possible problems, Sartono said.<\/p>\n
\"The exodus is a yearly activity that these officials can
\nanticipate earlier. So why don't they provide the best services
\nfor travelers?\"<\/p>\n
Sartono is part of a team monitoring the implementation of
\nIdul Fitri travels and studying the social phenomenon and its
\nimpact on the lives of Indonesians.<\/p>\n
\"I keep reminding related officials that, as Indonesians, we
\nshould be grateful that there are a lot people who strongly
\nuphold family values, something that is starting to diminish in
\nour society.\"<\/p>\n
As the country finds itself in an acute moral crisis, Idul
\nFitri and the mudik phenomenon can serve as a reminder
\nof the need to value human beings and spiritual matters over
\nmaterial concerns, he added.<\/p>\n
It is a fact sometimes lost on those in power.<\/p>\n
\"Various statements made by several ministers and other high-
\nranking public servants to prevent people from traveling home are
\nculturally dull and ignorant.\"<\/p>\n
Officials have advised prospective travelers to send gifts,
\nletters or call their relatives on the big day instead of going
\nhome.<\/p>\n
Sartono derides their suggestions.<\/p>\n
\"Once again, the government has ignored human factors for
\nalmost four decades.\"<\/p>\n
He also warned of societal fallout because many people, their
\nincome slashed by the long economic crisis, cannot make the
\njourney home this year.<\/p>\n
Separated from the ones they loved at this critical time, they
\nmay suffer acute loneliness and desperation.<\/p>\n
He said such feelings can lead to depression, in which
\nsufferers feel they have nothing to lose in their actions.<\/p>\n
\"We should anticipate future social outbreaks,\" he warned.<\/p>\n
The government, he said, was too arrogant to understand
\npeople's feelings and their aspirations.<\/p>\n
\"This is one of the bad legacies from the oppressive New Order
\nregime.\"<\/p>\n
Many officials are intolerant and have lost their compassion
\nfor others in their yen to maintain power, he said.<\/p>\n
\"Look at how many officials are too hardened to say the word
\n'Sorry' and admit their past mistakes. It is a violation of the
\nIdul Fitri spirit.\"<\/p>\n
Now is as good a time as any to focus on a humanitarian
\nperspective on life.<\/p>\n
\"What we need now is not only economic and political reforms
\nbut also mental rehabilitation to eliminate the ongoing social
\ndiscrepancies.\" (raw)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/who-can-stop-people-from-mudik-for-idul-fitri-holiday-1447893297",
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