School holiday break subdued during campaigns

By Stevie Emilia

JAKARTA (JP): The long-awaited school holiday has come but this does not necessarily mean that students are free to play outside the house. This time, they have to spend their month-long holiday differently, as the ongoing campaigns have made people hesitate to leave their homes, fearing election-related disturbances.

Rini, a student of SMA 6 senior high school, has to sneak out of her house to meet school friends at Blok M, South Jakarta, in order to catch the latest release Message in A Bottle.

"My mother is very strict, she wants me to stay in the house the whole time during the holiday," complained the second year student. With two brothers, Rini is the youngest and the only daughter.

She said that usually she spent her school holidays traveling with friends. Last year, she holidayed with friends in Bali.

But this year, her parents would not even allow her to go to her grandparents' house in Surabaya. Rini said her mother wanted her to remain in the city for safety reasons.

"My mother said that anything could happen this time of the year... so, she wanted me to be close to her."

But parents cannot always monitor their children. In Rini's case, both her parents work, making it easy for her to sneak out of the house.

Visiting the grandparents of other families in their hometowns is the favorite way of spending the holiday, even though many students, especially those living in big cities, prefer to spend their holidays living it up. Some students from affluent families spend their holidays either by traveling to other cities -- here and abroad -- or by taking religious courses or extracurricular programs studying computers, English, music and even fashion.

The campaigns and the coming elections, however, have made people, especially parents, anxious and cautious. They fear that there will be clashes among the political parties, triggering riots.

Rini said her mother would call the house several times a day just to check up on her. "But, I've already prepared my maid with several excuses. I told her to tell my mother that I was sleeping, or taking a bath."

She said she disobeyed her parents because she believed the campaigns would not turn violent. "I think I will be just fine."

Another student, Iyok, was forced to cancel a trip to Singapore, earlier promised to her by her parents. In Singapore, she planned to join a homestay program, taking an English language course as she had in the past.

"My parents said it would be better for me to stay home with them," said the Al Azhar senior high school student.

She said she could do nothing to change her parent's last minute decision, although her boarding house had already been chosen and her flight had been booked.

Being an obedient daughter, she complied with her parent's decision and started to think about another way to spend the holiday. She tried to persuade her parents to allow her to take a computer course here, but was disappointed when they refused to give the nod of approval to her request.

She said her parents did not think it was safe for her to travel around the city on her own. Both of her parents are working.

So now, she has ended up spending her vacation entirely at home. Every so often, a friend will come to her house.

But most of the time, she spends the day with her play station, reading novels or talking to her friends on the phone.

"I don't care if my phone bill goes over the top ... This is the most boring holiday ever," she claimed.

Not all parents, however, are afraid to send their children away from home.

Arief Putranto, who works in a private oil company in Jakarta, sent his three children to his parents' house in Bandung a day after the school holidays started. School children began their vacation on May 17 and will return to school mid-June.

"It's for precautions. My parents' house will be much safer than here," he told the Post by phone.

Two of his children are senior high school students and the younger one is still at junior high.

Arief said he could not take the risk, leaving his children at home only with a maid. His wife is also working.

The idea of sending his children to stay with his parents came up long before the holidays started, he added.

"See for yourself, the campaigns are very noisy. We can't predict what will happen. I just want to prevent the worst, and my wife is completely in agreement with me," said the 45-year-old man.

In previous years, he often traveled with his children to other cities during school holidays.

"Usually, myself and my wife use the school holidays as the right time to take a break from the office and to spend more time with our children. But this time, it's impossible."

"I'd prefer visiting my children on weekends rather than feeling worried about them all day."