Pensioners want early payment for Idul Fitri celebration

Novan Iman Santosa and Dadan Wijaksana, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

After Ramadhan, comes Idul Fitri, which is unquestionably the most-awaited holiday for Muslims, including civil servant pensioners, who now must rely on their monthly pension allowance.

Like many others, these pensioners, for the most part, are badly in need of money for the preparation to celebrate Idul Fitri. And now they are in a quandary about the money as the holiday coincides with the payment of their retirement allowance.

Idul Fitri is slated to fall on Dec. 6 and 7 and the government has extended the period, from Dec. 5 to Dec. 9, especially for civil servants.

Most pensioners are hoping to get their money before Idul Fitri, but as of Monday afternoon, the government had no plans to disburse the money earlier.

Hanafi Wiradinata, a retired employee of the Meteorology and Geophysics Agency (BMG), usually receives his monthly pension allowance early in the month between the 4th and 8th at a post office near his home.

"It happened once or twice that the payment was made earlier than scheduled due to Idul Fitri," he told The Jakarta Post over the weekend.

"But I haven't experienced this year's condition where the payment period overlaps with Idul Fitri. I really hope the government will pay me earlier," said Hanafi who receives Rp 980,000 (US$109) a month.

There are 41,315 pensioners in Greater Jakarta area alone who receive a total payment of about Rp 25.8 billion per month through post offices managed by the state-owned postal service company PT Pos Indonesia's Greater Jakarta division.

"The post office is only acting as the cashier as the money is provided by the Ministry of Finance through its directorate general of budget," secretary of the Greater Jakarta division, Baharuddin told the Post.

"Usually we need a couple of days to take care of administrative and technical details such as putting the money into envelopes."

Baharuddin also said that the post offices would do their best if the central government is determined to provide the retirement fund earlier than scheduled.

Contacted separately, director general of budget, Anshari Ritonga, said he had not heard of any plans to pay the pensioners earlier.

"The disbursement of the fund is conducted by PT Taspen which will allocate the funds nationwide.

"But I haven't heard of any plans for it to be earlier than scheduled," he said.

Meanwhile, a public relations staffer of the state-owned pension fund PT Taspen, Sumarya, said on Monday that there was no plan so far to make early payment although the company had done it in the past.

"Actually there are no problems for pensioners who want their allowance directly paid to their bank accounts. The fund is usually available on the first day of each month.

"But the cash is usually available on the 4th for those who pick it up at post offices," he said.

Separately, city spokesman Muhayat said retired city employees would receive their pension allowances between Dec. 1 and Dec. 4 next month.

He said, however, that most of pension and salary payments for city employees was done directly to recipients' bank accounts at city-owned Bank DKI.

"We still have counters at City Hall to pay pensioners who wish to have their pension allowance in cash. If the counter is open that means money is available there," he said.

Muhayat said that city employees, particularly those at the City Hall cash counter, would be at work until Dec. 4.