JP/5/BUJANG

JP/5/BUJANG

Bujang myth accused to have impede fight against malaria

Puji Santoso
The Jakarta Post/Pekanbaru

Ayub, 47, a resident of Telaga hamlet in Batang Sari village,
Indragiri Hilir regency, believes in the mythical Bujang Penunggu
Laut or Bujang, Guardian of the Sea.

"If we forget to present offerings or hold rituals, Bujang
will become angry and misfortune will. It can be in the form of
the spread of disease or a harvest failure. We still believe the
sicknesses we suffer are due to the wrath of Bujang," Ayub, who
said he was just recovering from a bout of malaria, told The
Jakarta Post.

He said he took the medicine provided by local health workers,
but had little faith it would do him any good.

"I took the medicine so that I wouldn't be scolded by the
health workers," said Ayub, a fisherman and father of five.

No one is sure where or how the myth began or why people like
Ayub continue to believe in it.

What is certain is that the deeply rooted belief in Bujang is
hampering efforts by the Indragiri Hilir and Riau administrations
to eradicate malaria in the area.

"Due to the presence of the myth, many residents refuse to
seek medical treatment. They prefer to go to shamans. It is
impossible to treat malaria with shallots and cooking oil,"
Indragiri Hilir Regent Indra Muklis Adnan told the Post in
Pekanbaru recently.

Indra said many malaria sufferers continued not to seek
medical treatment. In Belaras in Mandah district hundreds of
malaria sufferers still refuse to go to health posts, where
medical treatment is free.

Belaras has about 150 households and in nearly every one there
seems to be at least one person suffering from malaria.

Riau Governor Rusli Zainal, a former regent of Indragiri
Hilir, and the head of the Riau Health Office, Dr. Ekmal Rusdi,
recently visited the area and expressed concern over the
condition of the residents. They also denied allegations they
were not serious about dealing with the disease in the regency.

Both men expressed dismay that residents were still unwilling
to seek free medical treatment at integrated health posts
provided by the local administration.

"They still believe in the Bujang Penunggu Laut myth. They
believe malaria can heal by itself through a medium who can
communicate with Bujang and woo Bujang to stop his curse," said
Rusli, who administered Indragiri Hilir regency for a term before
becoming Riau governor.

Data obtained by the Post from the Riau Health Office on
Saturday shows the number of malaria sufferers in the regency is
currently 695. Twelve people have died of the disease. Nearly all
of them have been treated at the Puri Husana General Hospital in
Tembilahan.

The worst affected areas of Indragiri Hilir are Kuala Selat
and Telaga hamlets, and Persiapan, Kateman, Batang Sari and
Belaras villages. According to the Riau Health Office, the
malaria outbreak in Indragiri Hilir has reached alarming levels.

The International Red Cross has dispatched two medical workers
to the area, as well as sending mosquito nets and 400 blankets.

According to Dr. Ekmal Rusdi, the health office has sent eight
boxes of vaccinations and 25,000 chloroquine tablets to the area.

The malaria outbreak in Indragiri Hilir has also interrupted
education. About 200 pupils at a local elementary school were
unable to attend school because all of their teachers were ill
with malaria.

"We are very concerned by the situation. Malaria has not only
affected villagers, but has also interrupted educational
activities at the only elementary school in the area," said
speaker of Commission E at the Riau legislature, Hasyim Aliwa,
said on Friday.