Labor foundation to hold mass wedding

JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian Labor Foundation plans to hold a collective wedding ceremony in November to help low-income couples who have postponed their dream wedding due to the crisis.

The foundation, claimed to be a nonprofit organization, would require each of the couples, expected to be mostly office boys, cleaning service employees, gardeners and housemaids, to pay Rp 500,000 for the service, chairman Ventje Eduard Torindatu said Saturday.

"It's our social mission to provide a sacred wedding ceremony at an affordable price for working-class people and laid off workers," he added.

With that amount of money, each couple would be able to take part in the mass wedding, receive a marriage certificate and free make-up and meals plus a rented Kijang minivan with driver for 12 hours, Ventje said.

The venue has yet to be decided since it would depend totally on the number of participants, he said.

"If the number reaches 100 couples, we would hold the ceremony at the Jakarta Fairground in Kemayoran, Central Jakarta.

"But if the number only reaches, say 50 couples, the ceremony would take place at KONI's auditorium at the Senayan sports complex," Ventje said.

He estimated that the foundation could collect between 5 percent and 10 percent of the total fees.

Those who are interested to join the collective wedding can contact the foundation at Jl. Kramat V No. 20, Central Jakarta, or at telephone number 31901003, 6312158 or 7494463.

The deadline is late October. (emf)