Celebrating Idul Fitri amid crisis

Celebrating Idul Fitri amid crisis

By Rita A. Widiadana

The Muslim holidays Idul Fitri, which are only two days away,
will be somewhat "special" in that they will be celebrated amid a
sinking economy. The millions of seasonal travelers are not only
intimidated by the acute problems such as doubled bus ticket
prices and inadequate transportation but also street crimes. The
Jakarta Post looks into the issue.

JAKARTA (JP): There should be no tears of sadness at Idul
Fitri, which marks the end of the holy month of Ramadhan on
Tuesday.

In reality, this year's events have already been marred.
Millions of Indonesians will observe the coming holiday in
hunger, homelessness and in poverty.

Fourteen months after the economic crisis first hit Indonesia,
the majority of the country's 220 million people face an
extremely difficult period in their lives. For many, there are no
available jobs to look forward to after the holiday.

Housewives complain of skyrocketing prices and shortages of
food and other basic necessities.

"There is no way that we can commemorate this year's Idul
Fitri in a normal way. Almost everybody is poor now except for
the very few," said Sumirah, a single parent of three.

There will certainly be no Idul Fitri bonuses for the more
than 20 million newly unemployed people.

"It is so sad. Never before have I experienced such a gloomy
Idul Fitri," said Sunarno, who recently lost his job with a
construction company.

He said he never celebrated Idul Fitri extravagantly, but at
least he could buy new clothes for his wife and four children and
provide enough food for the family.

Sunarno has had to shelve his longtime plan to visit his
elderly parents in his hometown of Tegal, Central Jakarta.

"This is actually the best time to be with them. We don't know
whether we'll have another chance to see them again. But what can
I do? We have to carefully save our money to prepare for the
worst," he sighed.

Sunarno is lucky enough to still possess a little amount of
money. There are millions of others who cannot afford even a cup
of rice, let alone the cost of traveling to their villages.

For many Indonesian Muslims, Idul Fitri is the most important
occasion when family members are expected to gather at their
parents' house.

After conducting a month-long fast during Ramadhan, aimed to
nourish people's spiritual lives, Idul Fitri serves as a time of
purification when people express their gratitude to the Almighty
God and their parents.

Idul Fitri also has a social function in that it strengthens
relationships when people ask each other for forgiveness, visit
relatives and friends and participate in other activities to
enhance their family ties and friendships.

With such high moral and social values, it is not surprising
that people are willing to risk everything to celebrate Idul
Fitri at home.

As the Idul Fitri holiday approaches, millions of Jakartans,
mostly immigrants, have started to leave the capital and make
their way home.

Mashudi, a factory laborer, is among the Idul Fitri travelers
struggling to obtain a bus ticket, more often than not sold at
double the regular price.

"For me, mudik (the annual exodus to hometowns prior to Idul
Fitri) is obligatory despite all obstacles. I will walk if
necessary, if there is no more buses to take me there," he
asserted.

Yayuk, a storekeeper, is another case. She knows full well
that this year's Idul Fitri journey could be risky and dangerous,
but she insists on visiting her parents in Pasuruan, East Java.

A lot of buses being used to transport Idul Fitri passengers
are in very poor condition due to the increasingly unaffordable
prices of spare parts and other components.

Many passengers will be traveling along dangerous routes,
especially so during this rainy season. Passengers have to be
mindful of possible floods, landslides and traffic jams during
their journey.

A worrying report has revealed that hundreds of highway
robbers are operating along major and alternative routes on Java
and Sumatra islands, attacking passing buses and private cars and
robbing the passengers' belongings.

Ticket prices have also increased sharply, not to mention the
prices set by scalpers.

"I read such a report and of course I feel frightened. But as
a Muslim, I truly believe that God will protect me and other
people if we have good intentions," 17-year-old Yayuk said.

Despite these difficulties, Yayuk and millions of other people
are determined to get to their hometowns.

Several Cabinet ministers, including Minister of
Communications Giri Suseno and Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso, have
frequently called on people to celebrate Idul Fitri in the
capital rather than risk the journey home.

But their calls have gone unheeded. Throughout Indonesia,
about 15 million people are expected to join this year's Idul
Fitri exodus to the rural areas. A slight drop from the 18.49
million passengers in l998.

Noted psychologist Sartono Mukadis said that remarks by
government officials in trying to persuade people not to travel
to their hometowns at Idul Fitri were a waste of time.

"Various statements made by several ministers and other high-
ranking public servants are culturally dull and ignorant. They
can hardly understand how much mudik means to the people," he
said.

Government officials and those living in big cities often
consider mudik irrational and a waste of time and money,
maintained Sartono.

"This happens because they view it from their own
perspectives. It is time for us to reverse this perception. Let's
think of this social phenomenon from the travelers' point of
view," he said.

It is government officials who complain every time the Idul
Fitri exodus occurs and they complicate things for the travelers,
he said.

"The exodus is a yearly activity that these officials can
anticipate earlier. So why don't they provide the best services
for travelers?" he said.

The Jakarta office of the Ministry of Communications says that
7,801 regular buses have been prepared in anticipation of the
exodus, which reaches its peak on Sunday.

An extra 1,400 buses and 700 vehicles are on standby at the
Senayan parking lot. State-owned railway company Perumka has
promised to provide adequate seats to accommodate holidaymakers.

The Armed Forces has also offered trucks to carry
holidaymakers to their destinations. A total of 3.5 million
people are expected to leave the city for the holiday.

"I keep reminding related officials that as Indonesians, we
should be grateful that there are a lot people who have strong
family values, something that is starting to diminish in our
society," Sartono said.

Indonesians are now suffering from an acute moral crisis. The
spirit of Idul Fitri and the mudik phenomenon can serve as a
reminder to all of us to value human beings and spiritual things
above all material matters.

"It is the best time to lend a hand to help those less
fortunate than ourselves so that we can wipe the tears from the
eyes of the needy, especially when the sound of Idul Fitri takbir
(glorification of God) is heard tomorrow night," Sartono said.