Before civil service test, shamans report busy schedule

Upcoming civil service exams have led to brisk business for traditional Javanese shamans in the East Java town of Kediri.

Mbah Tabri, a shaman in Mojoroto district, said that he has had more customers after Kediri municipality and several regency administrations started recruiting for employees.

“They want me to help them become civil servants,” Tabri said on Sunday, as reported by tempointeraktif.com.

People typically came to him to recover from diseases or to seek wealth, but recently at least two people a day have stopped by to ask for aid to secure a job in the Kediri administration.

Tabri, a self proclaimed Muslim, said instead of telling patients to read magic spells he told them to pray to God to help them during the test and to fast or stay awake on certain nights.

The shaman said he could not guarantee that an applicant would be successful but never rejected a customer.

Other local shamans have reported a similar increase in business. LS from Pesantren district, said he has received at least 10 customers a day, most of whom asked for help in passing the civil service test.

“There are always many customers before the start of recruitment season,” LS said.