Pensioners want early payment for Idul Fitri celebration

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.