'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