No new clothes for Idul Fitri
Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Shopping malls are crowded these days. Big bargains offered by vendors make customers more eager to buy various items, from food and beverages to shoes and clothes. After all, Idul Fitri is coming and after one month of fasting, it is time to have a big party with family and friends. It's a special occasion where people want to look their best with their new apparel.
But no. Not all can afford that, especially those on low incomes.
Asnawi, a street sweeper who works at Gambir, Central Jakarta, claimed that he could not afford to buy himself new clothes for Idul Fitri, at least for the last five years.
"Even if I had the money, my five children need new clothes more than me and my wife," he told The Jakarta Post while sweeping Jl. Medan Merdeka Barat with his partner, Amin, in the small hours of Sunday morning.
Asnawi said that as the only breadwinner in the family, with around Rp 300,000 (US$33) in monthly salary from the Jakarta administration and no holiday or year-end bonuses, he's barely able to make ends meet, let alone set aside extra money for Idul Fitri.
He added that he got his clothes from charity.
As for Ma'mum, a cotton candy vendor, he has to work hard to save money to cover the transportation expenses of taking his wife to the annual family gathering at his mother's home in Rangkasbitung, West Java.
Ma'mum, who sells candy at the National Monument (Monas) park square in Central Jakarta, claimed that he could only make a profit of Rp 12,500 per day, which sometimes had to be shared with hoodlums who usually demanded a portion of his profit.
He used to sell newspapers on the street, but he left the job due to high competition and the risk of being chased away by city public order officers. He envied his former colleagues, the newspaper boys, whom he said received Idul Fitri bonuses from the newspaper agents.
His wife worked as a housemaid in Cileungsi, Bogor, but received only a small salary, said Ma'mum, without elaborating.
With such a small income, new clothes are a luxury Ma'mum cannot afford. And even if he has the money, Ma'mun will not spend it on new clothes.
"I don't need something luxurious to make the holiday special. If I can save money, I prefer to allot it to my children's future education," Ma'mun, who has yet to father a child, told the Post.
The lack of new clothes, however, does not affect people's joy at celebrating Idul Fitri.
"What really matters is our act of devotion," said Edi, an ojek (motorcycle taxi) driver who resides in Cimanggis, South Jakarta.
Edi did not believe that new clothes were essential for Idul Fitri, but conceded that they could help to liven up the New Year holiday.