'Without a long holiday I won't have a vacation'

'Without a long holiday I won't have a vacation'

The government extended the official Idul Fitri holiday this year
until the end of the month, a policy imposed not only by the city
administration and state institutions but also by private
companies. The Jakarta Post spoke with several people about the
long holiday.

Yulia, 28, works at a research company in Jakarta and lives in
Karet, Central Jakarta. She is on a one-week holiday:

I have enough holidays to go to Bali with my friends. I'm
coming back on Thursday.

I don't think the holiday is too long because if the company I
work for did not impose this holiday in line with the government
policy, I would not have any vacation at all. I have worked hard
for almost a year straight now.

I'm not worried about a lack of public services in Jakarta
during the holidays, because I'll be spending most of the time in
Bali.

Albert, 31, works at a retail company in Jakarta and lives in
Rawamangun, East Jakarta. He only has two days off for Idul
Fitri:

I don't even feel like I have a holiday this year because my
company only gave us two days off: Nov. 25 and Nov. 26. So I just
spent the vacation here in Jakarta.

And I was a little upset because it was hard to find a taxi,
let alone a decent cab, during the holidays. Once I got in, the
driver asked me to pay him above the meter, calling it his Idul
Fitri bonus. I was a bit worried.

War'i, 52, drives a taxi and lives in East Jakarta. His family
lives in Pemanukan, Cikampek:

I can use the one-week holiday to spend more time with my
family at home. I haven't had the chance to go home for months,
and the Idul Fitri holiday was the best time to do so. All my
colleagues are going home for the holiday as well.

I know lots of people will need taxis during the holiday, but
there are dozens of taxi companies in Jakarta so my absence will
not be a big problem.

-- The Jakarta Post