Anti-corruption not merely a slogan for morgue workers

Anti-corruption not merely a slogan for morgue workers

JAKARTA (JP): Many people are surprised to discover that civil
servants are able to survive as well as they do despite the
paltry wages they earn.

It is often assumed they are only able to make ends meet thus
through corruption. It cannot be denied, of course, that in some
government offices corruption runs rampant and civil servants are
busy lining their pockets with ill-gotten wealth.

Still, there are some government postings where it is nearly
impossible for civil servants to enrich themselves through
corruption. These civil servants, thus deprived of that
opportunity, must do extra work on the side to earn the
additional income they need to support their families.

One can find numerous examples of civil servants having little
side gigs to supplement their official salaries among the
government employees at the Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital
(RSCM) morgue.

Basri, 52, a staffer at the morgue, said he needed to do some
work on the side due to the meager salary he received from the
government.

"Currently, I earn some Rp 700,000 (US$73.60) a month. I don't
know how I would support my family if I didn't have side jobs,"
he told The Jakarta Post on Monday.

The resident of Bendungan Jago, Central Jakarta, said he had
to support eight children, including his second eldest child who
is pursuing a degree in economics at the private Indonesian
Islamic University in Yogyakarta.

Basri, who has been working at the morgue for 24 years, said
he did various jobs to get cash, including providing the white
cloth to wrap the deceased, ambulance services, perfumes and
coffins to those in need.

He said he acted as a broker for companies or people who
provided services and goods for the deceased and their families.

"For example, I inform PT Lestari, a coffin manufacturer in
Senen, if the family of a deceased person here needs a coffin. Of
course, I get a commission for this," he said, declining to
specify how much money he received.

He also has established a network with four people who run
small garment shops, supplying them with white cloth.

"I buy the white cloth in bales from a distributor in Tanah
Abang, and I sell some 60 rolls of the cloth to the four each
month, for which I earn Rp 600,000 per month on average," he
said.

Previously, the coffin business was his main side job.

"I used to buy sengon wood from a person in Ciamis, West Java,
to meet the demand of several coffin manufacturers in the city,"
he said.

The business collapsed when his contact in Ciamis failed to
provide the wood in only the fourth month of the venture, back in
1997.

"I had already invested Rp 4 million for the month, when the
person said the wood was seized by officials because he didn't
have legal documents," he said.

Basri said he did not dare sue his contact. "I was afraid he
would practice black magic on me if I reported the case to the
police. Ciamis is famous for its black magic practitioners," he
said, adding that he quit the coffin business after that
incident.

He said he was proud to be able to support his family without
having to resort to corruption.

"With my side job, I can cover the expenditures of my family.
Besides, there is nothing to be corrupted here (in the morgue),"
he said.

With his additional income, his eldest daughter was able to
continue her education, earning her bachelor's decree in
nutrition. She now works as a nutritionist at RSCM.

Another staffer at the morgue, Acip, 62, has done similar side
work in the past.

"I used to supply training pants, clothing or T-shirts to
traders in Senen or at the hospital in the 1980s," said Acip, who
has been working at the morgue for 31 years.

He said from this extra income, he was able to raise four
daughters.

"They now enjoy their own lives with their husbands. It is now
my turn to relax," said Acip, who will retire next month.

Acip claimed employees at the morgue were firm in their
commitment to avoid corruption.

"Former RSCM director Professor Sujudi once told us not to
take fees from the relatives of the deceased for our services. We
can only take money from the families of the deceased if they
give it to us voluntarily," he said. (asa)