'Bonus, salary spent on Idul Fitri'

'Bonus, salary spent on Idul Fitri'

As Idul Fitri approaches, many people are planning how they will
use their holiday bonuses. There are family gatherings, new
clothes and presents to pay for. However, some people, contract
employees and those who have not been with their companies for
long, there will be no Idul Fitri bonus. The Jakarta Post asked
some residents what they were going to do with their extra money.

Comr. Junaedi, 39, is a police officer with the public
relations division at the National Police Headquarters. He lives
with his wife and two children in Ciputat, South Jakarta:

Officially, a police officer does not get any bonus from the
state budget. However, each immediate superior has his or her own
policy regarding how much of a bonus they will give to their
Muslim subordinates. So, different divisions will get different
bonuses.

This year, I got a quarter of my salary as a bonus from my
boss. Of course, this is not enough. But a police officer should
not demand more than his commander has given to him. Besides, I
realize that it is only because of my commander that I get any
bonus. Even if we don't get a bonus, we should be satisfied with
our monthly salary.

Lenny, 24, works at a telecommunications company. She lives in
Depok:

I received a holiday bonus, but my fiancee, Gege, 25, who
works for the same group but at a different subsidiary, did not.

I spent most of the bonus buying plane tickets to Surabaya for
the two of us. We can barely afford to buy something for my
family back home. The bonus wasn't enough to celebrate Idul Fitri
in my hometown because everything is very expensive.

Luckily, I received the bonus at the same time I received my
salary. So I spent both on my Idul Fitri celebrations. But that
means there is nothing left to save for our wedding.

I hope the company will increase my bonus next year so I can
save most of my salary for my wedding reception. Hopefully, Gege
will get a bonus next year so that by the end of next year we
will have enough money for our wedding.

-- The Jakarta Post