Quickest route to cemetery

YOGYAKARTA: Street rallies are not only a nightmare for the living they can also cause problems for the dead.

A man's body was ready to be taken for burial Saturday in Sentolo, about 15 kilometers west of here, when a seemingly endless United Development Party (PPP) motorcade interrupted the funeral procession.

The deceased's relatives did not bother seeking police assistance because the security forces were flat out trying to ensure safety during campaigning.

Everyone of the mourners was confused until his son, Suhadi, had a brilliant idea. He asked PPP security task force members to lead the ambulance carrying the body.

With the task force's sirens blaring all the way to the cemetery, the ambulance was not held up by party supporters. All the relatives had to do was shout, "Viva PPP."

"Without the task force's help, we would have had to postpone the burial until late in the evening," Suhadi said triumphantly. (38/pan)