Homeward bound? Godspeed

It seems odd to say that a national holiday can boost a government's credibility, but that is exactly the case with Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. His new administration is facing a huge challenge early on, as it oversees the movements of some 17 million people during the holiday season.

The most populated islands of Java and Sumatra are the places where most of the action is taking place. Individuals and families are largely traveling from cities to villages before Idul Fitri, and vice versa after the post-fasting holiday.

The total number of people on the move, 17 million, is four times greater than the population of Singapore, almost equivalent to the population of Australia or Malaysia, and more than ten times the initial outpouring of people from East to West Germany in 1989, following the Berlin wall's collapse.

The holiday season also has an impact on regional travel. More than 160,000 Indonesian workers are coming home too, particularly from neighboring Malaysia. The good news is that the Malaysian government has offered amnesty to Indonesian illegal workers in that country. They are not going to be punished for showing up.

At this time of year, close to the end of the holy month of Ramadhan, people from all walks of life -- from housemaids to businesswomen, from street vendors to shop owners, from clerks to bankers -- are on their way home. The mudik or hometown-bound trip to spend the holiday with family members is a tradition that no Indonesian likes to miss, regardless of how fit they are, or whether they are adequately equipped for the journey.

It is no wonder that former general Susilo did not want to take any chances. He personally inspected Jakarta's bus and train stations to ensure that people returning to their hometowns in the second and third weeks of this month were offered convenient and safe travel arrangements. He asked the relevant state officials to delay their leave so that they could better serve travellers. A decree, signed by three ministers, encouraged civil servants and employees of the private sector to take leave en masse, so that they could enjoy more time with their extended families. In some bus and train stations, medical personnel have been checking the health of travellers.

It does not stop there. Some 30,000 buses and 218 trains and ferries are being prepared. The Meteorology and Geophysics Agency (BMG) is broadcasting updated weather forecasts every six hours from Nov. 14 to Nov. 20. The Ministry of Public Works is readying heavy equipment to deal with possible floods and landslides in areas prone to those catastrophe. The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources is making sure that power blackout-prone areas like South Sulawesi, Southeast Sulawesi, West Kalimantan and East Kalimantan have adequate electricity.

Some preparations seem to defy logic as it looks like the country is about to go to war. The Navy is ordering five of its warships to remain on standby in case of a ferry shortage. The Air Force has issued similar orders. The East Java Police are offering escorts to homeward-bound motorcyclists. Some 70,000 police are deployed across the country.

The private sector appears to be in tandem with the government. Complaints from workers asking for holiday bonuses have barely been made, a sign that more and more companies are willing to part with some of their profits, to see their employees suitably prepared for this important yearly event. Some companies have routinely organized transportation fleets to take their employees and clients home. Automotive companies, as in past years, have set up emergency service stations in dozens of towns across Java and Sumatra to assist travellers who encounter engine problems.

These are encouraging steps, and both the new government and the private sector should be commended for their initiative. What remains to be seen, however, is the extent to which the government's preparations benefit the public. For instance, will bus and train ticket fares stay at the rate set by the government, or skyrocket at the whim of operators?

What people need most during this time is good service as they travel home and comfort and peace of mind, away from the hands of ticket scalpers, pickpockets or robbers.

Apart from threats from criminals, inadequate public facilities, bad roads and bridges, safety should top the government's priority list. Last year, 105 revelers were killed and 188 injured in traffic accidents in West and Central Java. A persistent effort must be made to drive this number down. Merrymaking should not give way to mourning. Happy Idul Fitri.