Idul Fitri a real boom time for the fireworks business

By Juliane Gunardono

JAKARTA (JP): In the nights before Idul Fitri it was not only the morning prayers and predawn meals that kept Adi awake. It was also the fireworks. His cousin, who lives next door, had been selling 100 fireworks for only Rp 5,000 since the beginning of the fasting month.

Sometimes Adi could not stand the noise anymore and went outside to shout at the children playing with the fireworks. However, it turned out that some of the children's fathers were outside as well, just as eager about fireworks as the children. So Adi just went back to bed and swallowed his words because he did not want any trouble with his neighbors in the crowded Petukangan area of South Jakarta.

Though it is forbidden to buy, sell or use fireworks in Indonesia, it seems that the authorities took no action to stop the illegal practice this year. People could easily buy all types of fireworks for between Rp 150 and Rp 5,000, without being disturbed by the police.

"I wasn't afraid to be caught selling fireworks," said Adi's cousin, who sold firecrackers for the first time this year. Because he has no other job, he does anything to make money, including selling fireworks, although they disturb him too.

And selling firecrackers is quite a lucrative job. In one month he made Rp 300,000 from his investment of Rp 30,000 -- without any danger of arrest.

Adi's cousin, who demanded anonymity, said he was not afraid. The police were not raiding his place or the houses in Parung, a nearby town in West Java which serves as a center for the fireworks trade, to check for fireworks. The trains from Parung, which were checked last year, were also free of police this year.

"There were no police on the trains. I think that because of all the crises they had other, bigger problems than fireworks," he said, adding, "This is reformasi. We are free to do anything!"

The vendors in Parung also took measures to ensure that there was no trouble from the police. Asked if there was an element of corruption, collusion and nepotism in the fireworks trade, Adi's cousin smiled and said, "There is no nepotism, but the police who work at Parung market get a 'security fee' from the fireworks vendors. The police leave them alone and protect them. If you know what time to go there to buy fireworks there is no danger."

There might also be an element of fright that prevents the police from impinging on the work of the fireworks vendors in Parung. The vendors proudly told The Jakarta Post that at the beginning of the fasting month they staged a demonstration at the police headquarters in Parung. They not only protested against the ban on fireworks, but they also attacked some of the police. "We need the money," one of them said. "If we are not allowed to sell fireworks, who will give us money?"

The sellers of fireworks, like Adi's cousin, said they were aware of the dangers posed by their wares. Though small fireworks seem innocuous enough, when they explode in someone's hand they can be dangerous. If thrown at people, cars or motorcycles, they can shock people and cause accidents on the street.

"I always tell the children to be careful when they buy the fireworks. And I explain to them how to use the fireworks," said Adi's cousin.

"I like it when people look shocked and don't know who threw the fireworks. It's so funny!" said one of the children who had bought fireworks from Adi's cousin. "And we have never caused an accident."

Many parents, though, worry when their children play with fireworks. "It would be very dangerous if one exploded by your eye," said a mother. "I forbade my children to play with fireworks, but when I gave them money to buy food or sweets they spent it on fireworks."

The children did almost cause an accident last week when they threw a fireworks into the street. The fireworks exploded just as a motorcycle was passing. "I stopped abruptly because I thought my tire had exploded," the motorcyclist said. "The car behind me barely managed to stop in time. I was so mad that I hit some of the children."

To the wonder of some people, the police usually make no attempt to stop the youths from playing with fireworks in the street. "A policeman stopped my car to warn me about the danger instead of stopping the children from throwing the fireworks," a woman said. "The policeman should have stopped the kids with the fireworks, but maybe he was afraid -- one policeman against five or six youngsters who might want to fight."

At the end of the Ramadhan fasting month, Jakarta Police chief Maj. Gen. Noegroho Djajoesman expressed his disappointment with people who used fireworks. "The use of fireworks should not have happened", he was quoted by Antara as saying.

Now that the season for fireworks has ended, most people feel relieved. Adi's cousin and other fireworks vendors must now look for new jobs, and motorists no longer have to worry about fireworks thrown into the street by groups of children.

The nights too are quiet now -- at least for the next eleven months.