Business booms for firecracker makers
Business booms for firecracker makers
By A'an Suryana
JAKARTA (JP): Despite a formal ban being issued by the Jakarta administration, people continue manufacturing and selling firecrackers in the Greater Jakarta area as the Idul Fitri celebration approaches.
Interviewed separately by The Jakarta Post on Tuesday at their respective homes in Bogor and Tangerang, firecracker manufacturers said they commenced production one month before the Ramadhan fasting month, which started on Nov. 27.
"People buy firecrackers to welcome the Idul Fitri. Therefore, we only produce them for the annual holiday," said Engkos, a resident of Parung Panjang subdistrict in Bogor.
The subdistrict, along with Legok subdistrict of neighboring Tangerang mayoralty, is known as a site for the mass production of firecrackers.
Engkos, a man in his 30s, said he alone could produce 1,000 firecrackers per day.
"I can earn a net revenue of between Rp 20,000 (US$2) and Rp 30,000 a day. It will be my additional income during Ramadhan," said Engkos, a seasonal laborer.
Budi, a resident of Legok subdistrict, said he could produce thousands of firecrackers a day, with the help of his teenage aide Ujang.
Budi, a man in his 30s, specializes in producing 0.5x5 and 1x5 centimeter firecrackers.
"I have limited equipment, so I can only produce certain types of firecrackers," he said.
Meanwhile, residents of Duren Mekar subdistrict in Depok, some 25 kilometers south of Jakarta, focus on producing teko firecrackers.
Firecracker production actually does not require sophisticated procedures.
"Basically, we create a beam and pour explosive powder into the beam. The powder is then compressed after we close the top and bottom tips of the beam.
"Finally, we put a fuse on the top of the beam," Budi said.
The beam is made from newspapers or cartons, and sometimes it is equipped with bamboo for bigger firecrackers. While, the explosive powder is a mixture of ammunition substances, potassium perchlorate and sulphur.
"We put in potassium if we want to make a rocket firecracker," he said, adding that he obtained the materials from distributors operating in the neighboring Manengah subdistrict in Tangerang.
Budi said he understood the danger of firecrackers after reading a report of a 10-year-old boy in Tangerang who lost three fingers as a firecracker prematurely exploded on Dec. 6.
"Therefore, I always keep ammunition and other flammable materials in a hut outside my home," he said.
Budi said sellers often come directly to his house to get the firecrackers.
Ian, alias Chia, a seller, said the demand for firecrackers has recently increased.
"We compete with other sellers, to purchase the firecrackers".
"We often find producers have run out of stock," said Chia, who sells the firecrackers, along with other sellers, at a soccer field on Jl. Moh. Toha in Bogor, precisely behind the Parung Panjang Military Subdistrict.
Since last year, the area has been allocated to the sellers by officials, because there were a number of dangerous explosions at the Parung Panjang market in previous years. Each kiosk pays Rp 150,000 as a rental fee per month and an additional security fee of Rp 1,000 per day.
Samsuddin, another seller, said he was able to sell between 1,000 to 1,500 firecrackers a day during Ramadhan.
"I take 10 percent as profit. That is enough to add to my earnings," said Samsuddin, who runs a kiosk at the edge of Jl. Raya Parung Panjang in Legok subdistrict.
A 0.5x5 centimeter firecracker sells for Rp 800, while chili firecrackers sell for Rp 4,000 per 150 items.
Most people understand that the activity is illegal.
"But, because the activity is inherited from one generation to the next, it becomes difficult to eradicate.
"It's similar with people who take trees from the jungle, claiming that the trees are the legacy of their ancestors," Depok Police Precinct chief Supt. M. Amhar Azeth said.
Amhar said the police had legal grounds to take violators to court, as stipulated in the 1933 Law on Firecrackers, a violation which can result in a three month prison sentence.
"However, we place emphasis on persuasion, as unrest may erupt if we take a repressive approach,
"We have seized, for example, 175,000 firecrackers since last month, but no one has been arrested," he said.
Last Friday, a riot almost took place when police personnel raided the house of a firecracker producer in Duren Mekar subdistrict.
"We were forced to pull out our personnel when residents began defending the producers," said Amhar.
Sanudin, head of the subdistrict, said he would be ready to cooperate with the police to persuade residents to cease the production of firecrackers.
"We should teach them about the dangers of firecrackers," he said at his office.