Beggars have tough time at Ramadhan
Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Contrary to the assumption that beggars receive more charity during the Ramadhan fasting month when people are more generous, several beggars and street singers in the capital claimed to face tougher days due to intensified raids by the city public order agency.
"On most days I can get more than Rp 20,000 per day, but now it's hard," Mak Ei, a beggar at Karet intersection, Central Jakarta, told The Jakarta Post while resting under the flyover construction.
Uum, 16, added that they are forbidden to ask for money from motorists driving from the intersection leading to the Shangri-la Hotel because the public order officers have proclaimed the area as a beggar-free zone.
"Previously, I could bring at least Rp 500,000 back home to Sidoarjo, East Java. Now we can only work a few hours each night, so I don't know if I can collect enough money to celebrate Idul Fitri this year," said Uum, who has been living in the area for the last eight years.
She added that together with her husband, a street singer, they could make up to Rp 30,000 per day.
Since the first day of Ramadhan on Nov. 6, public order officers, under a special task force established by Governor Sutiyoso, raided beggars, the homeless, street singers, and street car washers in a bid to uphold order in the capital.
They also raided 3-in-1 jockeys, those people who offer themselves as additional passengers for private cars to travel along certain roads, like Jl. Sudirman and Jl. Thamrin in Central Jakarta, between the 6-10 a.m. rush hour.
The raids and the shortened working hours may be the main causes of the beggars' income loss, despite their high expectations that people would be more generous during Ramadhan. To compound the problem, the influx of seasonal beggars from outer Jakarta -- the administration has estimated an additional 3,000 beggars -- has heightened competition.
Although Mak Ei and Uum can shift their operations to areas nearby, they are reluctant to "disturb others who usually operate in that area".
Besides, at least six public order officers guard each city zone, such as at the Cawang intersection in East Jakarta and Slipi in West Jakarta, from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Baden Bazrun, one of the officers guarding the Karet intersection, said the officers are on duty for 24 hours although most left their posts around 9 p.m.
"If we catch (beggars) red-handed, we will send them straight to Kedoya, where the office of social affairs will provide them skills training for home businesses before sending them back to their hometowns," he told the Post.
Kedoya is an area in West Jakarta where rehabilitation center Bina Karya Bangun Daya 02 is located. The center focuses on sheltering beggars, the homeless and commercial sexual workers.
Encing, a street singer under the Slipi flyover, said three of his friends who used to operate in the area had been taken to Kedoya. The center, he said, requires Rp 250,000 per person for bail.
"Business is bad now. I can only operate freely for a few hours late in the evening, and have to be fully alert during the day," he said.