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?