A peaceful end unlikely when greed prevails

A peaceful end unlikely when greed prevails

Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

For many Jakartans, the death of a relative is a double blow.
They mourn because their loved one has left them forever. And the
funeral requires a sizable amount of money, which is quite a
burden for many people, particularly those in the low-income
bracket.

Actually, they should not need to much worry about funeral
costs as the city has allocated a budget to cover much of the
expenses. Yet, many corrupt officials of the city's funeral
office ask for money from the family of the deceased.

Under the existing regulation, the city will provide Rp
150,000 (US$14.84) for the family of the dead to cover the cost
of digging the grave. All Jakartans are entitled to this money.

However, the funds are not easy to get, as seen in the
experience of Baron, 30, a resident of Cempaka Baru subdistrict,
Central Jakarta.

When his father died recently, Baron wanted to bury him at
Karet Bivak cemetary in Central Jakarta, where another relative
had been buried.

Baron recalled that an official at the cemetary asked him to
pay Rp 350,000 for the cost of digging the grave, Rp 250,000 to
lease a tent used during the burial, and Rp 450,000 in land
rental fee for the plot.

"Initially, the official asked me to pay Rp 400,000 to cover
the grave digging, but after negotiating, he agreed to cut it to
Rp 350,000. Other costs were not negotiable," said Baron.

He spent a total of Rp 1 million (US$98.86) for the funeral of
his father. The amount did not include the ambulance costs to
transport the body of his father from Cempaka Baru to Karet Bivak
cemetery, and other spending at home.

Under City Bylaw No. 3/1999 on regional fees, Jakartans who
have family members buried in Jakarta's graveyards have to pay
between Rp 4,000 and Rp 100,000 in a land rental fee to the
city's administration every three years. The poor are exempted
from paying the fee.

When asked, an official at Karet Bivak cemetery, Sukardi, said
the cemetery's officials never asked anyone to pay for the
digging of the grave.

"Actually, only the head of the cemetary is authorized to talk
to the press. But as far as I know if someone pays for the grave
digging, they usually give it voluntarily," he told The Jakarta
Post.

Spokesman of the city's funeral service office Muhammad
Nahrowi confirmed that the only expense to be paid by the
relatives of dead was the rental of the plot of land.

He called on the public to file complaints with his office in
case a cemetary official demanded additional fees from the family
of the deceased. They, however, have to present evidence, such a
receipt, to substantiate their complaints.

A member of City Council Commission E for people's welfare,
Siti Sofiah, said that the council often received reports about
additional costs demanded from the relatives of the deceased by
cemetary officials.

Cemetary officials usually set up a foundation that provides
funeral services and ask the relatives of the dead to contribute
to the foundation.

"Most people don't complain much because the foundation offers
a service that they need," she said

"We have told the city administration to prohibit the
establishment of such foundations because they only put more
burden on people in mourning. But, we often receive reports about
high funeral fees," she added.

According to Siti, the council had approved the allocation of
additional funds to cover grave digging expenses in order to
prevent cemetary officials from demanding money from the
relatives of the dead.

Siti said the City Audit Agency (Bawasda) was unconcerned
about the corruption at the cemetary offices because in its
opinion it only involved a small amount of money, while according
to Nahrowi, around 110 people die in the city each day.

If cemetary officials get between Rp 500,000 to Rp 1,5 million
in illegal money from the family of one dead person, the total
amount they receive is between Rp 50 million to 150 million in
one day.

"It is not small because they are taking from people who
actually need help. We must speak out to stop the illegal
practices. In our tradition, we help people who are in grief, not
cheat them," said Siti, a councillor of the Democratic Party.