In Jakarta, even the dead can't rest in peace
In Jakarta, even the dead can't rest in peace
Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
In funeral services, preachers often say, "May he rest in peace".
But you can't take that on face value if you are a Jakarta
resident.
Indonesia has been regularly categorized by international
rating's agencies as one of world's most corrupt nations. Many
people say that as long as you're still breathing in this
country, no one can free himself from being a victim of extortion
by the government's notorious bureaucracy.
The facts are actually even more alarming. When a person dies
there is no guarantee he or she can rest in peace.
Nothing is free in Jakarta from the moment of birth until
death. The family or friends of the deceased often have to bribe
hospital officials to obtain a death certificate on top of the
official fee. Without the certificate the body cannot be buried.
To secure a small plot of land measuring one meter in width
and two meters in length for the grave there is another obstacle
ahead. Rates also depend the location of the cemetery and the
distance of the plot's location from the street. Jakarta has a
total of 95 public cemeteries.
After that the families also have to pay an annual maintenance
fee. Late payment means the grave site can be used by another
occupant.
Geoffrey Gunawan, 50, a resident of Tomang, West Jakarta,
grumbled that he had to dig deeper into his pocket to pay for the
burial of his mother two years ago in Petamburan public cemetery
in Central Jakarta.
"I had to bargain first with the cemetery official over the
fee to dig the grave and eventually I had to pay Rp 2.5 million
(US$300)" he told The Jakarta Post on Friday.
City councilor, Syamsidar Siregar, of Commission E on welfare
affairs, revealed that from this year's city budget, the Jakarta
Administration has allocated at least Rp 27.3 billion to cover
the burial fee of its residents.
"Every Jakartan is entitled to between Rp 100,000 and Rp
150,000 to finance their burial," Syamsidar told reporters at the
City Council.
According to City Bylaw No. 3/1999, Jakartan residents are
only subject to a fee of between Rp 4,000 and Rp 100,000 for a
three-year period based on the location of the grave. The actual
fee is much higher.
Syamsidar deplored the fact that officers made it difficult
for residents to acquire a cemetery plot.
"Many people have been complaining that they find it difficult
to get vacant plot so they resort to bribing the officers on the
field to get it," she said.
Jakarta Cemetery Agency's funeral services division head, Taat
Sutisna, refuted the corruption allegations.
"There are no such illegal fees. If you encounter this, please
report it to me and I will take stern action against them," he
asserted.
However, Mathilda, 45, a resident of Duren Sawit, East Jakarta
questioned such assurances.
"That's only on paper. In reality, we must pay much more," she
said.
She said that besides the unscrupulous officers, she must also
pay a "sanitation fee" to locals who work there to clean her
mother's grave in Karet, Central Jakarta.