Campaign targets needful shopping
Abdul Khalik, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Ibu Tuti already had a trolley full of items to celebrate Idul Fitri, yet she added a package of soft drinks at a hypermarket in Central Jakarta on Tuesday afternoon.
Inside her trolley were dozens of plates, a set of glasses, tubs of margarine, cookies and even sarongs. Her maid was trying hard to keep the trolley straight while Tuti added more items.
"I am still not happy with the color of these plates," she told The Jakarta Post.
"We already have piles of plates and glasses at home, but these new sets are for Idul Fitri. It will be ugly if we serve our relatives with last year's dishes," said the resident of Kebayoran Baru, an elite residential area in South Jakarta.
Tuti claimed her expenditures on Tuesday were double that of "regular" days during Ramadhan, but said her daily expenses could be four times as much as Idul Fitri approached.
"We must have new clothes and many other items for Idul Fitri. It's tradition. We keep the old utensils and silverware in storage, though," said the mother of three, who would continue her shopping at the adjacent shopping center, buying new clothes for her children and herself.
Tuti is only one of hundreds of thousands of Jakartans flocking to malls to finish their shopping ahead of the holiday, which falls on Nov. 14 and Nov. 15, regardless of whether they needed everything they bought.
This is in direct contrast to Buy Nothing Day, promoted by Canada-based Media Foundation.
The campaign was launched in 1992 and so far, 75 countries have joined in the drive to be thrifty. This year, the campaign falls on Nov. 25, Thanksgiving Day.
In Indonesia, Yogyakarta-based Kunci Cultural Studies, a non- governmental organization (NGO), has been promoting the campaign since 2001. This year, Kunci launched its Buy Nothing Week from Nov. 8 to Nov. 14 in several major cities.
"The message is clear. We don't want people to fall further victim to consumerism. The campaign is not against buying things. What we want is people to buy only what they really need," Kunci director Nuraini Juliastuti told the Post.
"We chose the week before Idul Fitri, because many people go on a shopping spree during that period, buying many items that aren't necessary. We are also campaigning the message that no shopping for an entire week will not kill them," she added.
During the campaign, Kunci is sending email to other NGOs and distributing fliers and posters at shopping malls and centers. The fliers and posters ask questions such as "Do I need it?", "Do I already have it?" and "Can I do without it?". Kunci activists also try to talk directly to shoppers to raise their awareness on consumerism.
Nuraini said several NGOs in Bandung and Jakarta had also conducted similar campaigns and more groups would follow suit.
Meanwhile, Ella and her two children were struggling to find affordable clothes, a tablecloth and bedcover at a shopping center next to a traditional market in South Jakarta.
"We have to save up for months to be able to buy the things we need for Idul Fitri. I must buy new clothes for the children because my husband is afraid they might be embarrassed about not having new ones to wear when their friends do," said Ella, whose husband works at a freight company. She added that she had already used a year's savings in just a few days of shopping.