Elderly man refuses to descend from tower
Elderly man refuses to descend from tower
JAKARTA (JP): Residents of the Gang Buncit V slum area in
South Jakarta on Tuesday attempted to convince a 60-year-old man
to climb down from a high-voltage electricity tower.
The residents said Muhammad Sidik, who according to his wife
is mentally ill, climbed to the top of the 30-meter-high tower on
Monday evening.
A number of police officers deployed to rescue Sidik, who was
treated at the Grogol Mental Institution in West Jakarta for one
and a half months in early 1998, were told by the man to leave
the area or he would commit suicide.
"Go, go, go ... or I'll kill myself," Sidik shouted repeatedly
to the officers from his perch on the tower's crossarm.
As of late afternoon on Tuesday, Sidik refused to climb down
from the tower, located near Jl. Mampang Prapatan VII.
His family, neighbors and police officers expressed concern
over Sidik's safety and health, saying the man had not had any
food or water since climbing to the top of the tower on Monday.
His wife, Mulyati, 57, said Sidik had last eaten at about 8:30
p.m. on Monday, shortly before he climbed to the top of the
tower.
"He has never done this before. He just climbed so quickly ...
like an orangutan. When our eldest child wanted to climb up to
get him down, he started yelling at our child," she said.
The couple have seven children. "But two of them died from
illnesses when my husband was being treated for his mental
disturbances," Mulyati said.
The housewife said her, her husband and their children were
supported by Sidik's father, Abdurrochim, 81, who leases a number
of rooms in his home, because Sidik was unable to support his
family.
Mulyati said her husband began to shown signs of mental
illness about two years ago when he was deterred by his brothers
and relatives from performing the haj pilgrimage.
Shortly afterward, Sidik quit his job as an ojek (motorcycle
taxi) driver.
After being treated at the Grogol institution in February
1998, he was discharged by the doctors, who said he was fine,
Mulyati said.(ylt)