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.