Indonesians brave discomfort for annual holiday home-going (Feature)

Sep 7, 2010, 9:08 GMT

Jakarta - Hadi Mulyono said nothing would stop him from returning to his hometown to celebrate the Muslim festival of Eid al-Fitr, not even a police ban on carrying children on motorcycles.

'I have to take my son, and motorcycle is the only means of transport that is efficient,' said food vendor Mulyono, who planned to travel with his wife and his 7-year-old son to celebrate the holiday Pekalongan in Central Java.

Each year, millions of Indonesians travel by road, sea and air to spend Eid al-Fitr in their hometowns, a tradition that causes an annual headache for authorities already struggling with strained transport infrastructure.

Working-class migrants, many earning less than 200 dollars a month, spend their annual savings in their villages, eager to show relatives and neighbours they are successful in the cities.

This year's holiday, which marks the end of the fasting month of Ramadan, falls on Friday in Indonesia, the world's fourth most populous country with 240 million people.

The annual exodus, known locally as mudik (going home) was already in full swing a week before the most important holiday season.

Those using cars have to endure extreme traffic jams, while train passengers jostle for space.

With scant notice paid to the highway code, hundreds of people, mostly motorcycle drivers and passengers, die in traffic accidents during the season every year.

Since 2008, the government has banned motorcyclists from carrying more than one passenger or any children, but the rules are mostly ignored, largely due to a lack of efficient alternatives.

Jakarta police said they expected 3.6 million people from the city to travel home, mostly by motorcycle. In total, more than 30 million people across the country are expected to travel this year.

Police spokesman Boy Rafli Amar said officers would enforce traffic rules more strictly this year.

'We will stop motorcycles carrying more than two people or heavy loads and issue them with tickets,' he said.

A Jakarta Post editorial said corruption and mismanagement meant that revelers face similar problems and discomfort every year.

'The severe traffic jams, street crime, traffic accidents, bad roads and poor public transportation facilities have apparently never been addressed properly,' the Post said.

For the Jakarta administration, the mudik tradition poses another problem as returning travellers bring back their relatives or friends who hope to try their luck to find jobs in the capital.

Officials have repeatedly warned that newcomers without skills are not welcomed and will be sent back home. Each year after the Eid holiday, the Jakarta authorities carry out raids on lower-income neighbourhoods and send undocumented newcomers home.

'It's hard to find a job in Jakarta and the cost of living is high,' Jakarta Governor Fauzi Bowo warned last week. 'Please tell relatives and friends, it's better for them to develop their home towns.'

Activists allege that the government's move to expel the homeless and unskilled newcomers is a human rights violation, arguing that every citizen has the right to seek a livelihood in any part of the country.

The resort island of Bali is also taking similar measures.

Bali police chief Inspector General Hadiatmoko said newcomers who are unable to produce identification papers would be expelled.

'We won't let people with unclear purposes come to Bali because they will cause us trouble,' he said.

But the holiday season brings advantages to some. For many residents of Jakarta, a city notorious for severe traffic jams, Eid al-Fitr is time when they can enjoy deserted streets for a week.

'I can't wait for Eid al-Fitr,' said Fitri Amalia, a Jakarta office worker. 'I'm planning to take a bus ride around the city.'