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.