JP/5/BAWEAN
Bawean Island women earn more money than in Malaysia
Indra Harsaputra The Jakarta Post/Bawean
(Part two of series of stories on Bawean Island)
In less than five minutes, Ramlah, the owner of the Medan Selera cafe in Sangkapura district, Bawean, set out various Malay dishes for her customer, including tarik tea, tom yam soup and Cennai bread.
The presence of the Malay dishes on the island is not peculiar as a good number of Bawean residents have lived and worked in the neighboring country.
"I have been running this small restaurant for two years. I quit my job in Malaysia as the profit for doing this are much better for me than working as a house maid in Malaysia," said the budding 35-year-old capitalist.
Ramlah reveals that she can profit about Rp 5 million a month (US$500), much more in relative terms than she earned working for someone else in Malaysia.
Working in her own country is also safer and more convenient, she stated. She can earn more and still be close to her friends and relatives.
"Working in Malaysia was tough, as I was often treated badly by my master," Ramlah alleged.
Ramlah recalled one instance when she was beaten by her employer after she broke a dish. She said that she often experienced those kinds of situations while she worked in Malaysia.
Chief of the Bawean Island Tourism Implementing Unit, Affandi, explained that the people of Bawean were devout Muslims, and since people held to their beliefs strongly, the crime rate on the island was quite low.
He claimed that violence against women and burglary had never occurred. The Bawean community also rejects pornography, which they see it as something that makes women like objects. The strong rejection on pornography is noticed on the streets. Although many Bawean residents have worked in Malaysia and Singapore whose societies are more open than Bawean, there are very few pornographic VCDs or DVDs for sale on the island.
A few years ago, residents expressed objections when an Australian they knew well wished to invite her friends and clients to visit the island. The residents worried that the tourists would come and wear bikinis on Bawean beach or other things that would breach Bawean norms.
However, the Australian persuaded them that the dozens of tourists from France and Australia would dress in a polite manner. The Australian was true to her word and the tourists were welcomed by residents on the island when they visited the area.
As many Bawean people have worked overseas, the rate of divorce on the island is high. Data from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) revealed that in 2002, out of total 846 couples that got married that year, 89 have already divorced.
The high rate of divorce was then attributed to distance, as many partners are separated while working in other countries.
"The high rate of divorce has created a lot of single parents, almost all women," said Rohma, who has chosen to remain single after she divorced her husband recently.