Barbers cut out a living on the street

Barbers cut out a living on the street

JAKARTA (JP): Those walking or driving along the heavily
congested Jl. Matraman Raya in East Jakarta cannot help but be
aware of the street barbers struggling to make a living on the
sidewalk.

With worn-out chairs and small, beat-up Echolac suitcases
containing mirrors, combs, scissors and modest shaving gear, the
barbers -- some of whom have been in the profession for dozens
of years -- work under the open sky near Koinonia Church.

Amazingly, their number has grown slightly since the economic
crisis hit the country in mid-1997, although they struggle to
earn enough to support their families.

From seven in 1998, there are now 15 Matraman street barbers
along the 50 meters of sidewalk.

It may surprise many people to learn that the sidewalk barbers
often go home at night with only Rp 3,000 in their pockets, the
same amount of money it costs for a bowl of bakso (meatball soup)
on the streets in Jakarta.

But these barbers do not complain because they are used to
hardship. Some of them simply fast during those days when they do
not earn enough to eat.

"If I have no money then I simply forget about my lunch or
dinner. It has become usual for me to fast. So ... I just take
things easy," said Anen, one of the barbers.

Talking to The Jakarta Post on Sunday afternoon, he was still
waiting for his first customer of the day.

Like many people struggling for life on Jakarta's streets and
sidewalks, the Matraman barbers believe they and their families
will survive.

Hasan, another barber, said: "I think there are people from
the lower economic classes who will always come to us because we
offer very cheap prices."

Like his fellow barbers, the 53-year-old man said he did not
set fixed costs for his services.

"But customers usually pay me between Rp 2,500 and Rp 3,000
for a haircut," Hasan said.

Some of the barbers use a tarpaulin to protect themselves and
their customers from the rain and heat.

"I just take an old chair from the church as I can't afford to
buy one," said barber Surip Supriadi.

Some of the street barbers have been cutting hair for 50 years
and many have colorful backgrounds.

The 76-year-old Surip, for example, comes from a prominent
civil servant family during the Dutch colonial era. His father
worked as an opzichter, or controller, on the colonial
government's projects.

Surip enjoyed an education that not all Indonesian people at
the time received.

But the fortunes of his family began to fade in 1942 when the
Japanese colonial government took over in Indonesia.

"(Being a barber) is the only job I can do," said the father
of four.

His children support themselves so Surip only has to take care
of himself and his wife with the average Rp 9,000 he earns per
day.

Another barber, Tasrip, 45, who earns a similar amount of
money, has to support eight children.

"Of course I can't afford it, so my family has to rely on
others for help, including my parents and in-laws," said the
former vegetable vendor.

Tasrip said he was no longer strong enough to sell vegetables,
so he opted to become a barber last year.

"The job is not physically consuming. I learned the job from
my colleagues here last year," he said.(ind)