9-Hour Journey, 1 Hope: Voices of Cilacap Workers Attend May Day at Monas

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - A group of workers from Cilacap Regency, Central Java, joined in celebrating International Labour Day or May Day held in the National Monument (Monas) area, Friday (1/5/2026). One of the participants, Zuratman (60), admitted that this was his first time coming directly to Jakarta to attend the May Day commemoration. Previously, he had only watched the Labour Day celebrations on television screens. Zuratman covered a journey of about 382 kilometres from Cilacap to Jakarta. He departed with a group of workers by bus on Thursday (30/4/2026) around 7:00 PM WIB and arrived in the capital at 4:00 AM, after nearly nine hours of travel. “It’s quite far. I left last night around 7:00 PM WIB from Cilacap by bus with friends. We arrived in Jakarta around 4:00 AM,” he said. He actually felt happy to experience his first time attending the May Day celebration directly in Jakarta. “There is tiredness, of course, but also joy. Because this is the first experience, so I’m just enthusiastic,” he said. Zuratman’s presence at Monas was not without reason. “I want to feel the Labour Day atmosphere directly, and also want to voice aspirations,” he revealed. In addition, he was also interested in information about the free distribution of essential goods at the event location, which became an additional reason to join the trip to Jakarta. Zuratman hopes that the May Day momentum can encourage the government to pay more attention to the conditions of workers and small communities.