Rural people display material success during Idul Fitri

Agus Maryono, The Jakarta Post, Banjarnegara, Central Java

The age of the cell phone has not yet subsided. Maybe it has in large towns, where cell phones have become ubiquitous, and consequently, have lost their status as luxury goods.

However, in remote villages, cell phone fever has apparently just begun.

See what has happened in Watuurip village, Banjarnegara regency.

Three years ago, the ringing of cell phones was rarely heard in the village. Now, the situation has been completely reversed.

Cell phones are now frequently heard in the village, especially during the Idul Fitri holiday.

At the Idul Fitri celebration this year, more and more young men or women wandered around the village with a cell phone in their hands.

Some, wearing stylish clothes for the area, were seen with cell phones dangling on their chests from a sash. Others, particularly the girls, with hair dyed red, wore tight dresses, keeping their cell phones in their pocket.

"Hi Yun. I've just arrived in Indonesia. Can we buy tickets together for Taiwan after Idul Fitri?" Sutirah, a 24-year-old resident in Watuurip village said to her friend Yuni via a cell phone.

Two years ago, Sutirah was a shy person. But thanks to increased wealth after working in Taiwan, she can now talk to others with confidence.

For Sutirah, Idul Fitri has become the right moment for her to show other people in the village that she has made a success of herself after working overseas.

During Idul Fitri, when most people return -- from other towns or from overseas -- to their home village to celebrate, Sutirah gladly shared her achievement in Taiwan.

A cell phone -- that small, sophisticated, but handy object -- is something that has enabled her to demonstrate to people that she has become a successful person. Ownership of a cell phone has automatically elevated her status in the eyes of the people in her village.

But a cell phone is not the only thing that Sutirah and others have used to demonstrate their elevated status to others.

Jumiyati, 26, has worked in Taiwan for three years. She has returned to Indonesia for two weeks vacation, to celebrate the Idul Fitri holiday.

Like Sutirah, she has also spent her money on things that people perceive to be luxury goods.

Luxury home appliances could easily be spotted in her house, including a large refrigerator, 21-inch television set and a compact disc player with huge speakers.

She has a large, two-story house, rather unusual in a remote village like Watuurip. It stands in stark contrast to other modest houses in the village.

When The Jakarta Post visited her house a few days ago, she sat on a new luxurious sofa with her husband, Suparno. Jumiyati was dressed Taiwan-style, with shorts and a sleeveless shirt.

Her skin was white and clean, in sharp contrast to her husband's, which was dark and dull. Suparno is a farmer.

Jumiyati and Sutirah are just two among thousands of Indonesians who work overseas. In Watuurip alone more than 30 migrant workers are employed in various countries overseas.

This does not include hundreds of other young people in the village, who seek a living in Jakarta or other cities in Indonesia.

Unfortunately, in many cases, they are unwise and irresponsible in their spending.

Buying luxury goods is popular with these young people, who find their wealth increases after hard work overseas or in large cities.

They simply spend their money on unproductive assets. They buy expensive electronic devices, motorcycles for their younger brothers and other such things, which are not really needed. They rarely save or invest money for their children's or families' education, or use it as working capital to start a business.

Their awareness needs to be raised in order that they spend their money wisely. If not, once their work contracts come to an end, their wealth will vanish quickly and they will be back to square one -- poverty.