Life gets slower on first day of fast

Life gets slower on first day of fast

The Jakarta Post, Semarang/Medan/Banda Aceh/Indramayu

Millions of Indonesian Muslims, who account for some 85 percent
of the total 220 million population in the country, began fasting
dawn-to-dusk on Friday, the first day of Ramadhan.

As usual, schools were closed and government offices were
largely empty at the beginning of the fasting month, while
activities on streets slowed down, with little traffic
congestion.

The ritual went peacefully despite mounting demands earlier
from Muslim activists nationwide that government and businessmen
shut down amusement centers, nightspots and red-light areas
during Ramadhan and the Idul Fitri holiday.

In Semarang, the capital of Central Java province, almost all
schools were closed from Friday to Saturday, including Christian
and Catholic schools. The schools were closed from order by the
Semarang municipal education office.

Ah Lun, an elementary school student at Don Bosco Catholic
elementary school here, however, had no idea about the holiday.

"Our teacher simply told us that we had to study at home from
Friday to Saturday," he said.

Government offices in Semarang, Banda Aceh and Medan were
empty at 9 a.m, with few government employees to be seen.

High ranking government officials were apparently indifferent
over the attitude of their subordinates that may cost public
services. The leaders understood that their subordinates had to
get up at dawn to break the fast meal, or sahur, so that slow
activities were allowed on the first day of Ramadhan.

"They were late probably because they had to do a lot of
preparations during Ramadhan, as in attending the evening prayer
tarawih, reciting the Koran or the morning prayer, subuh.

"We understand that the activities have slowed down on the
first day of Ramadhan," said Abdillah, the Mayor of Medan
municipality, in the capital of North Sumatra province.

He added that he would not immediately impose sanctions to
those Muslim civil servants who came late or even skipped the
office on the first day of Ramadhan. He only called on them that
fasting should not dampen their productivities.

"It is acceptable for the first day, but after that, they have
to resume work at the usual pace," he said.

In Aceh province, thousands of fishermen took a holiday on the
first day of Ramadhan. This has been a tradition that they did
not go to sea on the first day of fasting, moreover people mostly
chose to buy meat rather than fish for sahur.

In the meantime, they chose to repair their nets and boats.

Slow activities were also seen in traditional markets in the
city of Semarang, including the Jatingaleh market, where traders
began opening their stalls at 9 a.m and immediately left the
markets some four hours later.

In stark contrast, offices of private companies were seen
bustling on Friday, which seemed like a normal working day.

While government leaders in Medan and other cities were
indifferent over the attitude of their subordinates, the case was
different in Indramayu regency, West Java province.

Here, officials at Public Order Agency in Indramayu
apprehended on Friday, 112 civil servants with the regental
government administration for playing truant on the first day of
Ramadhan.

They were nabbed in shopping malls, amusement centers and
other public places during the day.

Safrudin, the chief of the Indramayu Public Order Agency, said
that the strict measure was aimed at cleaning the image of civil
servants in the regency.

The random raid was carried out between 10 a.m to 3 p.m.

During the raid, officials at the agency recorded the identity
of the arrested civil servants and units where they worked.

The agency would then report the civil servants to their
direct superiors, who would later impose some form of punishment
to delinquent civil servants.