No new clothes for Idul Fitri
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.