One of the purposes of fasting during the month of Ramadhan is to enable Muslims feel the suffering of poor people and show sympathy by giving charity.
For which purpose, several institutions have been given authority to collect the charities and to channel them to the poor people.
However, there are some people who want to give their charity directly to the poor among others to beggars. That is why, there are so many beggars on the streets of Jakarta during Ramadhan, most of them are organized by certain people who arrange the travel of those beggars from their homeland in other provinces among others Central Java.
In order to prevent those beggars from coming to Jakarta, two years ago the municipalty government and Parliament of Jakarta have passed a by-law in 2007 which forbid people from giving money to beggars, which carries a punishment of Rp 20 million (US$ 2,000) fine or 60 days in jail.
During the first ten days of Ramadhan, 12 Jakarta citizens have been arrested for giving money to beggars. Besides, the Jakarta Social Agency has gathered 850 beggars, including 83 infants.
The enforcement of this by-law is supported by the Indonesian Ulama Council (MUI) on one condition i.e. its enforcement should be carried selectively in the sense that people who donate to others who are really in need should not be arrested. MUI has even issued a Fatwa Haram for Beggars.
Meanwhile, a civil rights movement i.e. Urban Poor Consortium rejected this by-law, they said that such law can only be applied when there is no more poverty in Jakarta.
For details on the above, please click here, here, here and here.
Considering the above, I felt that the timing for enforcement of above by-law is inappropriate, because during Ramadhan people are supposed to be more tolerant and forgiving toward others. However, considering the by-law has already exists its enforcement should inevitably be carried outn step by step.
Firstly, it should be accompanied by taking firm action against those responsible for bringing those beggars to Jakarta. Afterwards, there should be integrated efforts between the central government, the Jakarta government and government of the provincce where those beggars orginated, to prevent the beggars from leaving their villages i.e. by providing more job and/or money making opportunities for them.
Photo: Courtesy of Weelinx
15 comments:
This Must Be a Very Hard situation for the People. Thinking someone needs help and knowing that you could be imprisioned for helping them strange law but the should stop these people somehow as they are not helping the poor in jakarta itself. maybe they should issue a pass so it's allowed for these people to ask for money.
Chris ...
The problem is because there are certain people who took advantage of those poor beggars i.e. those who brought them from their villages outside Jakarta. They are the one who would obviously get most of the money collected by the beggars. Your idea that those beggars should be given a pass is good.
This is because of some people who take advantage of anything the situation, which at the time of the month ramadhan arrived. Because they think certain people will easily give money to beggars on the grounds to seek reward
Untung ada google translate hehehehe..
The law enforcement is not likely to work as long as poverty is still up in the air. Regretfully to say that we are used to judging, even constituting a law product, without giving a way to a mending solution.
thanks for posting...beggars should be educated that life is not to beg
@New Blogger ...
Yes the problem exists primarily because there are some people who arranged those beggars to come to Jakarta, at a time when people would want to be generous.
@Edwin ...
Amen to that. Instead of finding a solution for a problem, we tend to make new laws, therefore we would be in a vicious circle
@Amsi ...
Right! but an alternative should be provided
pak harry, apa tidak ada analisis mengenai isi perda tersebut, rasanya menarik jika ada analisis kenapa itu diundangkan dan motif apa yang melandasinya
Well, I thing stupid they arrested people who give money to beggars.
They should catch those people who runs the Beggars in Jakarta.
@Anggara ...
Alangkah baiknya kalau ada analisis tentang perda tsb. Tapi setahu saya belum ada.
@BelajarBlog ...
Yes it should the coordinators of those beggars who should be arrested.
This fatwa should be more directed to the boss of beggars, the person who coordinate them.
Poverty, greed, manipulation of human motives ... This complicated knot is VERY difficult to unravel.
And the ROOTS of everything is on a completely different, and very remote place ...
@Tikno ...
Yes pak, the by-law & fatwa should be used as basis to take action against the coordinators of beggars.
@M.Ristic ...
The roots of the problems in our society are poverty + greed.
History shows that Poverty cause unrest in society even revolution.
Greed would lead to acts of crime e.g corruption, roberry, fraud etc.
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