Arriving villagers dream of a city paved with gold

JAKARTA (JP): For many living in small villages across the country, Jakarta is a big name.

It's the land that has and probably offers everything: skyscrapers, mansions, shiny cars, entertainment, savvy people and big money.

But most of all, the "modern" people and film stars are there.

In short, they are proud of the capital. They are always dreaming of living in this city of hopes, at whatever cost.

They never think of the tough and rugged side of life in the metropolis. They never learn that looking for a job is not as easy as they think. They never want to realize the fact that their neighbors and surroundings in their villages are more friendly than those in Jakarta.

Job opportunities for either the formal and informal sectors in the capital, already packed with some 11 million people, have decreased in recent years, although there have been signs of economic recovery.

Few of course manage to make their dreams come true and become a model for people in their villages. But many fail to deal with the unsympathetic atmosphere of Jakarta. They hastily retreat back home and go to the farms or paddy fields again.

But still, the harsh realities do not stop the hundreds of thousands of people who flood the capital from year to year.

The number of newcomers usually increases a few days after Idul Fitri when revelers of the post-Ramadhan fasting month celebration head back to the capital.

The holidaymakers, estimated to reach some two million people, usually have a number of their relatives or neighbors with them on their way back to Jakarta.

Seeming to ignore the general public's opinion of the hard life in Jakarta, the newcomers arrive armed with their great dreams.

In the past few days, major railway stations and intercity bus terminals have begun to witness a significant increase in the number of arrivals.

Only clothes

They might only have a small amount of clothes in their bags, but that does not detract from their dreams.

"Life is no longer promising in my hometown. I have tried many kind of jobs there, such as being a farmer, driver and building construction worker. But there has been no improvement in my life.

That's why I want to try to find a job here," Jastra, 28, told The Jakarta Post at the Pulogadung bus terminal in East Jakarta on Tuesday after he had alighted from a bus which took him from the small town of Linggarjati in West Java.

At least, he said, he wanted to become a cigarette vendor like his uncle and scores of other people from his hometown who are already doing so in the capital.

Jastra said he finally decided to travel to Jakarta simply to help his elderly parents.

"I have a dream to send them one day on the Haj pilgrimage," said the youngest of six children.

Others, however, have no specific plans.

Kusnia, 14, of Bangkalan on Madura island, East of Java, said she just followed her grandmother and aunt, who owns a scrap metal business in Jakarta.

"Maybe they hope I can help to run their business. I don't have any skills," said the elementary school graduate, who was accompanied by her father, Safuri, at Pasar Senen railway station in Central Jakarta.

No worry

Kusnia said she was not worried about living in this big city as her relatives had guaranteed food and accommodation.

Similar confidence was also shown by Nartiah, 18, from Kendal in Central Java, although she understood that finding a job here was not easy following the economic crisis that hit the country in mid-1997.

"I have indeed heard about the lack of job opportunities here but I still dared to come because a friend of mine, Mia, promised to find a job at her place of work," she told the Post upon her arrival at the Pasar Senen railway station in Central Jakarta.

"I once worked in my hometown for a monthly salary of only Rp 150,000, while Mia -- working at a beverage firm in Sunter here -- has already bought a plot of land for her family as her income can reach Rp 350,000 per month plus several allowances," said Nartiah, who was waiting for Mia to pick her up.

The face of the junior high school graduate displayed no doubt about her future, even though she had only Rp 200,000 in cash in her purse.

"Before I get a job, my friend will temporarily provide my meals," the teenager said.

Jastra, Kusnia and Nartiah are among the hundreds of thousands of newcomers who have arrived in the capital, together with the Idul Fitri influx in the past few days.

The authorities recently estimated that the newcomers who wanted to live and work in the capital would reach some 200,000 during this Idul Fitri holiday season, which will end this weekend.

Dreams of a better life were also on the mind of Asti, 18, of Cilacap in Central Java.

Asti, who has become the backbone of her family, said she followed her neighbor Isah to Jakarta, hopefully to work at a garment factory in Tangerang.

"The garment company is seeking new workers and Isah urged me to apply. She said the monthly income could reach Rp 250,000," she said.

"I think it is better to try," Asti said, adding that she and Isah were standing during the 10-hour trip from Cilacap to Jakarta. (ind)