In coming days, Jakarta’s streets will be more quiet, and will likely last for about two weeks starting from now, as millions of Jakartans abandon the city for a while to celebrate the Idul Fitri holidays, expected to fall on Sept. 20 and 21.
The Jakarta administration says about 3.25 million of the capital’s 8.3 million residents will take part in the mudik (exodus) – a slight increase from 3.09 million last year.
There are always gigantic human movements throughout the country during Idul Fitri, as millions of Muslims join the exodus back to their kampungs or hometowns. No matter how expensive or how tiring the journey they have to endure, the call of the annual mudik is too tempting to resist. Many regard it as a chance to recharge their spirits by returning to the basics for at least a while. And it is also an opportunity to “show off” their economic success in the cities or abroad. For the poor, their income of the past year is often spent just on the annual tradition.
The Idul Fitri exodus is not a direct teaching from Islam, although it has become a longstanding tradition for Indonesian Muslims and will likely still be maintained by the majority of Muslims trying to get together with their relatives and old friends as well as trying to get back to their roots.
The mudik tradition is not uniquely Indonesian. It also happens in other countries. Millions of Chinese return their hometowns or the mainland to celebrate the Lunar New Year; Americans do the same during Thanksgiving, and Filipino migrant workers also make the exodus back to their home country or towns for Christmas.
We wish all those going on the mudik a nice trip, with the hope that this time their trips will be smoother than in previous years. These are usually still marred by transportation shortages and traffic congestions along the roads to their destinations. Although the exodus happens every year, it is still an extraordinary event because it deals with the movement of millions of people, and usually peaks a week before and after Idul Fitri.
We really hope the government has already learned from all constraints in previous years in facilitating travelers, particularly in preparing adequate transportation, which was previously a major problem during the giant movement of the people.
Learning from previous years, traffic jams will still be the major problem during the peak season. Therefore, apart from providing travelers with smoother roads, the relevant authorities need to install additional traffic signs, including to guide motorists to alternative roads to avoid overcrowded ones.
We also appreciate the police’s plan to escort travelers going by motorcycle, whose number, according to the Jakarta Police, will reach up to 3.5 million from Jakarta and its satellite cities of Bogor, Depok, Bekasi and Tangerang as they head to other cities in Java and Sumatra. The safety of two-wheeled vehicles needs serious attention, because they are at most risk from traffic accidents.
We also hope that all travelers will abide by all traffic regulations for the sake of their own safety and that of other road users. During previous events, dozens of people were killed in traffic accidents, while most travelers were tired due to the long journey.
Have a nice trip!
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