'Depression led me to beg on the stree'

'Depression led me to beg on the stree'

City Public Order officers are intensifying crackdowns on beggars
during the fasting month. Strong survival skills have helped the
beggars stay on the street despite daily threats to their well-
being. The Jakarta Post talked with several beggars about this
issue.

Sarip, 50, is a beggar living with leprosy. He lives in Joglo,
West Jakarta, with his wife and six children. He has been begging
for a year and is usually seen around the Blok M area, South
Jakarta, and the Istiqlal Mosque compound in Central Jakarta:

I am not happy about being a beggar. I was a sidewalk vendor
for years, selling wristwatches in Senen, Central Jakarta. I
became quite wealthy at the time, but nine years ago I had to
quit because I got leprosy.

I was unemployed for years and my wife almost left me because
of this shameful disease. I ran out of savings for medical
treatment.

Depression led me to beg on the street. As a new beggar, I was
harassed by public order officers because I didn't know the do's
and don'ts of begging. That was last year.

In a way, I can see why officers come after beggars as we are
considered to be disturbing the peace. Many sidewalks in the city
are "littered" with shabby-looking beggars. So it's normal if the
officers crack down on us all the time.

I've never considered begging to be my main job. I'm not the
breadwinner in my family. I'm just responsible for paying the
monthly rent for our house, which is about Rp 150,000. From
begging I can earn enough money for meals and medicine. I just
help support my wife, who works as a housemaid.

I usually beg three times a week: on Mondays, Thursdays and
mainly on Fridays. I believe that during the fasting month, a lot
more people will give alms to the poor on Fridays. I can earn
between Rp 35,000 and Rp 50,000 a day.

When I beg, I feel like I am in a dream. It seems so unreal
for me. I'm ashamed to be doing it, but I have to support my
family.

Kasmirah, 40, has been a beggar for more than 20 years in
South Jakarta. She is a mother of six children and lives in
Senggalang, South Jakarta, with her husband, who is a scavenger:

What more can I say about the forcible evictions carried out
by public order officers? I don't like them at all. But what can
I do to escape their raids?

I still have nightmares about the officers when they raided
this area six months ago. They took my daughter's gold earrings
and my only earnings for that day: Rp 5,000. I tried to stop them
but they warned me not to tell anybody.

The worst was when I was taken to Pemalang, Central Java, and
dumped in the middle of the jungle because my husband couldn't
pay them enough money to release me. They are inhuman.

To be honest, I don't want to be begging like this. I'm
embarrassed to sit all day long in crowded public places. But for
the sake of my children's survival, I have to put my shame aside.

I'm uneducated because I never went to school. However, I
don't want my children to grow up to be as ignorant as their
parents. No way! They have to get a proper education. Thank God,
two of my children can go to an Islamic boarding school in
Central Java.

Besides, if I didn't beg, our family wouldn't be able to make
ends meet. My husband is just a scavenger who earns only Rp
10,000 to Rp 15,000 a day. It's not enough to support the family.
I have to pay Rp 70,000 for rent each month.

I can make about Rp 20,000 a day from begging. It depends on
my youngest daughter, who always cries for me to go home sooner.
If only I had enough money, I could become a street vendor. I
would be thankful to be able to do that. But when will a beggar
like me get that much money?

Rohman, 50, has been begging for one week in Tanah Abang,
Central Jakarta. He comes from Brebes, Central Java. He lost his
legs in a train accident in 1976. He has been a beggar for years
in Cirebon, West Java. He temporarily resides in Petamburan,
Central Jakarta with his wife:

I have only been in the city for a week. A lot of people say
that fasting month and Idul Fitri means more money for beggars.
That's why I moved here from Cirebon.

In fact, it's true that I can earn more money here. I only
earn about Rp 20,000 a day in Cirebon. But here I can get up to
Rp 40,000 a day. Last year I took home some Rp 500,000 after
begging in the city during the fasting month. I hope that this
year, I will earn more or less the same amount to celebrate Idul
Fitri.

I don't care what the city administration says about us here.
I know that there are a lot of raids during the fasting month.
Last year, I was one of those rounded up by public order
officers. Of course, it was easy for them to catch me as I
couldn't run. How could I escape without any legs? However, they
let me go after I bribed them with Rp 100,000.

I have just given in to my situation. I only earn enough to
get me by. I'm not a robber or a thug or a bad guy. I used to be
a scavenger, but I was reduced to begging when I lost my legs.

As a human being, I feel ashamed, but survival has motivated
me to do this. I don't think that I am disturbing the peace.
Beggars like me only sit in a certain area. Does that always mean
we are disturbing the peace? Passersby have enough room to get
around us on the sidewalk. That's no problem. I believe in fate.
I'm just earning enough money for food. That's all.

--Leo Wahyudi S