'Three-in-one' policy applied to cemeteries

'Three-in-one' policy applied to cemeteries

By T. Sima Gunawan

JAKARTA (JP): More than 100 people die in Jakarta everyday. Between 80 and 90 of these deaths are officially reported to the City Cemetery Agency. Ninety percent of the bodies are buried in the city, while the rest are either sent out of town or cremated.

Due to the limited space in Jakarta's cemeteries, the city administration has underlined the need to use every inch of land effectively, by, for example, allowing the burial of three bodies in one grave.

"We have to put things in order, otherwise the city will be full of cemeteries," Ayi Achmad, head of the City Cemetery Agency's information service, said.

The City Cemetery Agency has every right to be concerned. The city's mortality rate grows as the population increases. In 1985, for example, the burial rate was 68 a day, last year it surpassed 90.

In the past, tombs and mausoleums could be built on plots of land, but under the City Ordinance No.2/ 1992, each grave must now measure exactly 1.5 by 2.5 square meters. A grave can accommodate a maximum of three bodies. The burial of the second and third bodies, however, can only be executed at least a year after the first body is buried.

"We strongly suggest that the heir or heiress of the deceased use the same grave when another member of the family dies," Achmad said in a recent interview with The Jakarta Post.

If anyone wants to use a grave which already contains a body which is not a member of the family, they will be required to obtain written consent from the family or relatives of the first user.

Achmad said the scheme is only implemented where the water table is low enough, because the last (third) body must be at least one meter from surface.

"In North Jakarta, the policy can't be applied because the water table is too close to the surface. Water fills the hole if you dig more than a meter," Achmad explained.

The government's "three-in-one" burial policy seems to have gained public support.

"It is a good idea. I don't think anyone will have any objections being buried with the people they loved," Elvira Combaitan, an air hostess, commented.

Sri Gustini, a housewife, said her heart sank when she heard about the regulation for the first time because she envisioned "a pile of corpses in one grave." As she learned the details, however, she was relieved and supported its implementation.

"What is important is the approval of the first user of the grave. If a couple decides to be buried in the same grave, but one of them dies 10 or 20 years after the other, the government should leave a space for the one who dies later," she insisted.

Actually, recycling graves isn't new. Although for more emotional reasons, like a mother wanting her two sons to be buried in one grave, it has been practiced in Jakarta since the 1960s.

"The right to use a grave is valid for three years. If the family doesn't extend it, we let others use the grave," Achmad explained.

He added that there are Indonesians who don't seem to care much about the graves of deceased family members and do not extend the right to use the grave. When they visit the cemetery a few years later, they cannot find the grave because the site has been used to bury other bodies.

"In such a case, what we can do is to show them where the original grave is, but we can't move the new bodies," he said.

The city administration charges up to Rp 50,000 to rent a plot for three years, depending on the location. The longer you rent the grave, the more you have to pay. For the first three years, people pay 50 percent of the basic levies. Full payment is required when the use of the grave is extended for another three years. A second term costs 150 percent of the basic fees. Each subsequent extension costs 200 percent of the basic fees. Poor people, however, don't have to pay.

Services

The City Cemetery Agency also offers various funeral services. The washing and treatment of a body runs between Rp 50,000 and Rp 75,000, depending on the ritual.

"We charge more for Buddhist rituals because we need arak putih (white wine) to wash the body," he said.

The agency has 40 hearses available. Inside the city they cost Rp 12,500 for two hours, while transportation to other towns runs Rp 600 a kilometer.

Many people, however, have paid more because they didn't know about the official tariffs and were extorted by middlemen.

Aware of the problem, Achmad called on the public to contact the cemetery offices in the five mayoralties for the necessary information.

There are 70 public cemeteries throughout the five mayoralties, according to Achmad. Eighty percent of the graves are allocated for Moslems, 15 percent for Christians and five percent for Hindus and Buddhists.

"In the past, the cemeteries were divided according to race. There were Dutch cemeteries, Chinese cemeteries, Arab cemeteries and those for natives," said Achmad.

In 1973 the government grouped graves according to the deceased's religion in an effort to eliminate racist policies.

The city administration issued a new regulation on cemeteries in 1992, emphasizing the effective use of space. The regulation standardizes cemeteries, ruling that each hectare should have 1,600 graves.

The regulation also bans burial outside public cemeteries, such as house yards, and the construction of mausoleums or tombs. The use of bricks or concrete when constructing graves is also prohibited. Only soil, grass and a tombstone are allowed.

"If you want to use a coffin, you are not allowed to use hard wood, like teak, which is difficult to pulverize," Achmad said.

In addition, people are not allowed to plant trees but decorative plants no taller than a meter are allowed.

Anyone found violating the regulations can face three months in prison and/or a Rp 50,000 fine. So far, however, no one has been charged under the ordinance.

The city administration also plans to make public cemeteries green areas. Three cemeteries, Karet Bivak, Tanah Kusir and Pondok Rangon, have been selected as pilot projects.

The 19.8-hectare Karet Bivak cemetery is located on Jl. Penjernihan in a densely populated area in the heart of Jakarta. The upgrading project will start soon and has been allocated Rp 2.6 billion (US$1.18 million).

"The renovation of the front of the cemetery is expected to be completed this year," Achmad said.

There will be a plaza with nice fountains and a lot of trees in the cemetery, which currently has about 40,000 graves. In the first stage, more than 3,200 graves will be relocated to other sites.

"People must understand that everything here must be put in order. A grave will be relocated if the site is needed for city development," he said.