Post-holiday discipline
Post-holiday discipline
Indonesians love a holiday. Idul Fitri is the perennial
favorite of Moslems, and the holiday seems to be getting longer
every year.
The government decided long ago to declare a two-day holiday
at the end of the fasting month, the longest holiday in
Indonesia. But many people, especially those who return to their
villages to celebrate Idul Fitri with their families, give
themselves a few extra days.
This includes civil servants, whose absence affects anyone in
need of administrative attention. Their lack of discipline has
become an embarrassment in government offices and the authorities
have yet to find a solution. Threats of punishment are routinely
made, but so far they have amounted to nothing more than a
repetition of the same show every year.
To put an end to this, two House of Representatives members
are urging the government to extend the holiday from two to five
days, starting two days before the first day of Idul Fitri.
Anyone failing to report to work after the extended holiday,
propose Oka Mahendra (from the Golkar faction) and Darussamin
(from the United Development Party faction), should face
consequences.
But the two legislators add that the government is partly to
blame for its failure to punish those with discipline problems
and reward its hard-working employees. The problem has gotten
worse since the tradition of going home for the holidays has
become something of a "mass neurosis," as one psychologist has
put it.
Many of these travelers -- especially those who live on the
island of Java -- believe they will upset their parents if they
are not with them for the post-fasting celebrations, when they
are obliged to ask forgiveness from their elders. Others simply
need a break from their routine duties and the hectic pace of
urban life. After a brief stay in rural areas, many feel
cleansed, spiritually renewed and ready to start anew.
It is also a time for these people to show their families that
they have done well for themselves in Jakarta, where many have
come in search of opportunity and to escape their impoverished
hometowns.
Some sociologists feel that the urban exodus, known as mudik,
is irrational and should be stopped. But surely they are thinking
the unthinkable. Mudik for most people is a must, despite the
hardships they endure, from inadequate means of transportation to
poor facilities and infrastructure. Understanding this mentality,
the authorities have never discouraged people from joining the
exodus. In fact, government attempts to overcome the transport
problem have actually spurred more people to go home for Idul
Fitri.
The proposal deserves serious consideration. The government
would only have to guarantee that public services and facilities
not be disturbed during the five-day break. It would also have to
take action against any civil servant who fails to make it back
to work on time. Without this basic dose of discipline, how will
we ever become a modern society?
Indonesians love a holiday. Idul Fitri is the perennial
favorite of Moslems, and the holiday seems to be getting longer
every year.
The government decided long ago to declare a two-day holiday
at the end of the fasting month, the longest holiday in
Indonesia. But many people, especially those who return to their
villages to celebrate Idul Fitri with their families, give
themselves a few extra days.
This includes civil servants, whose absence affects anyone in
need of administrative attention. Their lack of discipline has
become an embarrassment in government offices and the authorities
have yet to find a solution. Threats of punishment are routinely
made, but so far they have amounted to nothing more than a
repetition of the same show every year.
To put an end to this, two House of Representatives members
are urging the government to extend the holiday from two to five
days, starting two days before the first day of Idul Fitri.
Anyone failing to report to work after the extended holiday,
propose Oka Mahendra (from the Golkar faction) and Darussamin
(from the United Development Party faction), should face
consequences.
But the two legislators add that the government is partly to
blame for its failure to punish those with discipline problems
and reward its hard-working employees. The problem has gotten
worse since the tradition of going home for the holidays has
become something of a "mass neurosis," as one psychologist has
put it.
Many of these travelers -- especially those who live on the
island of Java -- believe they will upset their parents if they
are not with them for the post-fasting celebrations, when they
are obliged to ask forgiveness from their elders. Others simply
need a break from their routine duties and the hectic pace of
urban life. After a brief stay in rural areas, many feel
cleansed, spiritually renewed and ready to start anew.
It is also a time for these people to show their families that
they have done well for themselves in Jakarta, where many have
come in search of opportunity and to escape their impoverished
hometowns.
Some sociologists feel that the urban exodus, known as mudik,
is irrational and should be stopped. But surely they are thinking
the unthinkable. Mudik for most people is a must, despite the
hardships they endure, from inadequate means of transportation to
poor facilities and infrastructure. Understanding this mentality,
the authorities have never discouraged people from joining the
exodus. In fact, government attempts to overcome the transport
problem have actually spurred more people to go home for Idul
Fitri.
The proposal deserves serious consideration. The government
would only have to guarantee that public services and facilities
not be disturbed during the five-day break. It would also have to
take action against any civil servant who fails to make it back
to work on time. Without this basic dose of discipline, how will
we ever become a modern society?