Rural people display material success during Idul Fitri
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.