Sleeping with firecrackers blasting at your side

JAKARTA (JP): Outside, it sounds like Beirut in the dark days. Snipers attacking the enemy, bombs falling on the populace, people running for cover. Not exactly that, but not far from the reality either. In place of crack teams and advancing troops, right now we are faced with armies of youth laden with all manner of illegal firecrackers. Soon after the morning prayer, they advance into the streets and parks of the country and let loose.

Leaders of the Indonesian Military (TNI), now is the time to recruit new blood. These hardy souls are ripe for the picking and display all the tact and skill required in the deadliest of battles.

The use of firecrackers reportedly has become a tradition during the fasting month. And it is only during Ramadhan that you will hear the racket. But this childish activity is a reflection of what is so wrong with this giant archipelago. For starters, their mini-bombs are illegal in Indonesia. Yet everywhere you go, they are openly on sale.

If anyone were unfortunate enough to let one off in a public place in the U.K., for example, a spell behind bars would be on the cards. Noise pollution is serious business in many countries.

Last week, when the noise level in the park outside my Central Jakarta home became too loud to bear, I took to the streets and attempted to net a gaggle of guys. This tactic sometimes works, and they understand they are causing misery for those indoors. But, these days they are getting bolder.

Satpam (security guard) to the rescue. "I don't know what to do about them," he moaned. "There are sick people and young children in these houses and they can't rest," he continued. Call the cops, I told him. Fast forward half an hour and see him sitting with a group of burly men drinking thick coffee and smoking kretek (clove-flavored cigarettes).

"Don't worry, these are (TNI) men," he beamed. "They'll sort it out." And all night, the bombings continued.

The following day, my pembantu (maid) said the satpam had told her if I wanted the TNI brigade to put an end to the fircrackerdom, I would have to give them Rp 50,000 each for "gasoline."

Kasihan (have pity) is the cattle cry from the masses that see children and fireworks as an equatable sum during the fasting month. "They're young and having fun," people say.

While millions around the world delight in the wonder and excitement of Catherine Wheels, Roman Candles and rockets, few see the lure of commoner garden firecrackers.

There is nothing wrong with youth having fun. After all, it is part of the process of growing up. Nobody would deny children joviality after a month of arduous fasting and strictly adhering to Islamic beliefs. But their fun should not be other people's misery, and that is what is happening.

As with other unsocial activities, such as "washing" vehicle windscreens with dirty water any time it is raining, the youth of this nation are holding the rest of us to ransom. We are afraid if we challenge them, they will hurl insults or even launch an attack.

Is there any point blaming the parents? To an extent, yes. But bear in mind that the firecracker crowds live in small houses, and oftentimes come from large families. It is not unusual, therefore, that kids spend the evening hours walking the streets or lounging around in parks. Where they get the money from is a different story.

A day or two of this activity, as in other countries, especially China, would be bearable. But we have got to endure sleepless nights and being rudely woken at the crack of dawn for a month, and we are only halfway there.

It will likely never change, at least not in the short-term. Indonesia has a lot of growing up to do, and so does its children.

-- William Furney