Going for broke on Idul Fitri

Going for broke on Idul Fitri

JAKARTA (JP): It's that time again. Idul Fitri is a day away
and households are doing without maids, bosses without drivers,
and Jakarta will be traffic free as 3.2 million people jam
Central Java's roads instead.

This tradition has been going on since Noah escaped the Flood.
Every Idul Fitri Indonesians living in cities go home to their
villages. For most city people, spending Idul Fitri in their home
towns is a must, even though they spend their year's savings to
make the trip.

The costly trip can be murder, especially for those traveling
on public buses or trains.

Seeing how these travelers fight to get into a bus or on
train, you may think they are out of their minds. What's so good
about Idul Fitri at home, anyway? There are 363 other days in the
year, why not pick one of them to go home? The trip would be
easier.

"It's a waste of money," a government official scorns.
"Besides, it's a big burden to the government. Moving millions of
people in a relatively short period is no piece of cake. Think of
the hassle and the money it takes."

"Why waste your hard-earned money?" an employer lectured his
workers. "Think about the future. Save your money for a rainy
day." (He obviously had not looked out the window.)

But, Narto, a golf-course attendant, doesn't find being
squeezed into a crowded train for 14 hours miserable.

"I've been doing this for 10 years in a row," he said.

Last year he returned to Jakarta flat broke. Two weeks with
his wife drained his pockets. He sold his watch and borrowed some
money from his uncle for the bus fare back to the city where he
would begin saving every rupiah he could spare for next year's
trip. He has no plans to stop his annual migration.

"Instead of going home for Idul Fitri, you can save money to
rent a house and to send for your wife and children," I offered.

"Even with my wife and children in Jakarta, I still have to go
home for Idul Fitri," he said. "And it will be a lot harder to do
it with a wife and three children in tow."

Seeing that I didn't agree, he continued, "To spend Idul Fitri
far away from your folks is meaningless."

Ujang, a waiter in a Padang food restaurant, believes that
Idul Fitri is the time for good deeds. When I met him at the Pulo
Gadung Bus Terminal, he looked excited about the trip.

"I'll clean my father's grave, share everything I earned with
relatives, and...," he paused shyly, "I may find a bride. This is
the perfect time for that."

"Being among relatives has no price tag," commented Latif, a
Medanese, who was eager to get to the ferry at the Merak ferry
terminal. He had spent millions of rupiah to buy a better car for
the long drive home.

"Traveling during this time of year is hell," says a Javanese
taxi driver. "On the other hand, it brings a lot of excitement
and things to remember. Last year, I fought to have a woman
seated on a bus thinking she was my wife. Imagine how I felt when
I found out that I had towed along the wrong woman. I still can't
help laughing every time I remember that incident."

Apparently, lecturing these people about efficiency and the
need to save money for a rainy day is fruitless. But, then, there
are not many things in the world that make people truly happy. If
one of them is spending Idul Fitri with relatives, no matter what
it takes, why not? Saving money is all right, but if Idul Fitri
is the rainy day you have saved for, why wait? Go for it.

-- Carl Chairul