Lepers seek better lives in Ramadhan

Lepers seek better lives in Ramadhan

Multa Fidrus, The Jakarta Post, Tangerang

The holy month of Ramadhan is a time for giving, which some
people take advantage of by looking for easy money, begging on
the street.

This issue draws attention to the livelihood of dozens of
cured lepers, who say their social and economic rights have been
denied.

Dinah, 36, spends most days sitting on the sidewalk at the
intersection of Jl. Veteran and Jl. MP Taruna hoping for small
change from passing motorists.

"I need the money to buy medicine for my sores and to feed my
family," she told The Jakarta Post, explaining she has two
children and her husband is unemployed.

She also has to pay monthly rent of Rp 75,000 for a house in
Serba Guna complex, located right behind the state Sitanala
Hospital for leprosy in Neglasari, Tangerang.

The rest of the year, the number of cured lepers begging on
the street is 15 on average.

"But in the fasting month, it's more like 35. The intersection
is the only safe place for us, or we would not survive the
traffic or public order officers," said Kamal, 37, who was
infected with the disease when he was six.

In any other place, Kamal added, he was picked up by public
order officers, who would send him to the city's social
rehabilitation center, where he would stay for a couple of days
before being sent back to his hometown in Karawang, West Java.

From Karawang, Kamal always returned to the Serba Guna
complex, where he is one of 4,500 residents who are recovered
lepers.

In 1997, the central government ceased its monthly food supply
for cured lepers. With no clear reason, the government also
stopped providing free medical treatment, including
hospitalization, as well as rehabilitation programs for the cured
lepers.

While some of them have successfully established their own
enterprises and moved up in the world, most of the cured lepers
prefer to stay among their community in Tangerang and continue
living as beggars.

The poorest among them rent beds in the hospital.

Disturbed by the presence of the beggars, some Tangerang
administration officials alleged they were organized by certain
people or a group who sought profit.

"They are dropped there by profit-seekers," an official of the
Tangerang Community Empowerment office, which is responsible for
the handling of beggars in the municipality told the Post.

However, the recovered lepers who were interviewed denied the
allegation, saying they were only able to bring home no more than
Rp 10,000 on average after eight hours begging at the
intersection.

"It costs me Rp 4,000 a day to take a becak (pedicab) from my
home to the intersection. I often bring home less than Rp 10,000
because when it rains, there will be nothing for us there," said
Dinah.

Sitanala Hospital deputy director JP Handoko Suwono said that
the cured lepers were those who had passed a supervision period
of more than one year, and were therefore no longer entitled to
receive treatment at the hospital or use its facilities .

"We have run out of ideas as to how to help the former lepers
because most of them like to live in their own way. Once we sent
60 former leper families to Lebak regency in Banten but they
returned here after two weeks," he said.