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Migrant worker home in time for Idul Fitri celebrations
The Jakarta Post , Cianjur, West Java | Sat, 10/11/2008 11:28 AM | National
Masitoh, 32, was busy preparing clothes for her husband and children early in the morning before Idul Fitri prayer in a quiet West Java village, 120 kilometers south of Jakarta.
The mother of three sons was among tens of thousands of female migrant workers, known by the local acronym as TKI, who returned to Indonesia in time to celebrate Idul Fitri this month.
"I always looked forward to the day when I could reunite with my family," said Masitoh, who landed at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport four days before Idul Fitri.
An average of more than 1,500 migrant arrived at the airport every day during the two weeks leading up to the Muslim holiday.
Masitoh left Ciharas village, Cianjur regency, two-and-a-half years ago to work as a housemaid in Riyadh.
"I really had to help my husband support the family," she said. Her tour in Riyadh was her second overseas, having already worked for a year in the same country in 2004.
Komar, 38, Masitoh's husband, works as a stone splitter in a quarry near the village. He used to earn roughly Rp 100,000 (US$10) per day but has seen his salary decrease in recent years as his services have become less significant due to the introduction of heavy machinery.
Masitoh recognized the crisis, and offered to work abroad. It was a hard choice for Komar to accept.
"But she convinced me she could," Komar said, recalling what his wife had told him about working in the Middle East.
Every year, dozens of women leave their villages to work overseas, with the majority going to the Middle East.
The Agency for the Placement and Protection of Overseas Laborers (BNP2TKI) reported that Indonesia's 4.3 million overseas workers had contributed US$3.4 billion to the country's revenue through remittances last year.
Masitoh is among the 70 percent of Indonesian migrant workers who work as low-skill laborers, such as housekeepers and construction workers.
"I worked for a surgeon's family," Masitoh said cheerfully. She said she had received a monthly salary of 600 Riyal ($160) as the family's housekeeper.
She said she had been able to save the majority of her salary because daily necessities, including food and board, had been provided for free by the family.
The family also employed an English-speaking Filipino cook, who received a monthly salary of 1,500 Riyal ($400), and a Srilankan nanny who earned 500 Riyal ($130) per month.
Masitoh said she had at times been tempted to send some of her money home, but had been reminded by her husband that her income would be put aside as savings, and that his salary was sufficient to cover their family's daily living costs in Indonesia.
"He said 'yes' only for emergencies," Masitoh said, citing as an example when her husband was hospitalized with typhoid fever during Idul Fitri last year.
This year's holiday was much happier for everyone.
Yudi, 18, the family's eldest son, said he was glad to have his mother back.
"Being together like this is everything," he said.
His brother, Suryadi, 13, stood smiling beside him. The family had just returned from Idul Fitri prayer at their village mosque and from visiting neighbors.
Once back in their house's front yard, the children took turns to shake their parents' hands and exchange hugs, while intermittently chanting the traditional holiday phrase, "maaf lahir batin". (Forgive me for my shortcomings).
It was then time to eat the special holiday treat of duck curry that Masitoh had prepared.
"This is the most delicious curry in the world," said Komar, laughing, as his sons ladled the curry onto their rice.
Masitoh said she was happy to be back cooking meals for her family in their house, which is surrounded by acres of rice paddies and fishponds.
Masitoh, indicating a number of cracks running across the concrete walls of her house, said, "Now we are ready and able to repair the house."
She said the house had warped considerably because it had been built upon a dried-up pond.
Masitoh said she was not certain she would return overseas, explaining that she was bored with the routine work there and that she had a number of projects at home that she wished to focus on.
"I think I'd better spend more time with my family," she said, adding that she had been stricken with sadness when, upon returning home, her youngest son, Yanto, 5, had not recognized her.
Masitoh said it was imperative that her family find a way to replace her income.
A few months before returning home, she sent money home so her eldest son could buy a motorcycle so that he could work as an ojek (motorcycle taxi) driver.
The main road lies five kilometers from the village, forcing many of its residents to rely on motorized transport. Many villagers make their living by renting out their motorcycles and driving others.
"I hope the motorcycle can help us make money here," Masitoh said. (hwa)
