I

t is not only the sugary snacks and drinks consumed to break the fast sold by vendors who suddenly spill into the surrounding streets in Bandar Lampung to offer delectable dishes, but there is also the sea of beggars, who seemingly appear from nowhere in pursuit of good fortune during the fasting month of Ramadhan.

Bandar Lampung Social Agency head Akuan Efendi said that the beggars came three days before Ramadhan from some parts of Lampung, as well as other regions, including South Sumatra, Jakarta and Banten.

The beggars usually swarm mosques around the city during prayer times, particularly on Fridays, when they will head to other parts of the city, including the traffic lights, shopping centers and even housing areas.

“We find it hard to deal with the seasonal beggars. Last year, we apprehended them and sent them to rehabilitation centers, but they started to hit the city in the next few days,” said Akuan.

“Starting from last year, beggars, who usually operate in Jakarta, have begun to pursue more money in Bandar Lampung. We believe that there are coordinators behind this,” he added.

The beggars, who came to housing areas in groups and consist of women and children, are difficult to catch because they can easily hide in between houses.

Akuan cited there were also “professional beggars” who came to people by carrying pieces of paper and asking for charity in the name of orphanages, mosques and other social foundations.

“These types of beggars are from Lampung and West Java,” Akuan said.

The Jakarta Post’s survey found that the beggars were picked up by their coordinators at dawn from their houses and were dropped at the Bandar Lampung downtown.

The beggars operated until 10 p.m. or 11 p.m. and the coordinators would pick them up again and shared the money they earned that day.

Some coordinators said that beggars today earned more money because there were more shopping centers and posh residential areas in the city.

Sukarman, 42, a resident of Panjang district who coordinates beggars, claimed that a beggar could earn Rp 100,000 (US$9) per day during Ramadhan. The coordinator, he added, would earn 30 percent of the income.

Sukarman said that he used to only have three beggars under his watch, but now he has 30 beggars, aged between 3 and 40.

“I used to pick them up by motorbike, now I use a car. During Ramadhan, I can earn Rp 1 million to Rp 1.5 million per day,” he said.

Nawawi, 47, a resident of Sukarame subdistrict, Telukbetung Selatan district, shared a different story.

“I usually carry a proposal from a social foundation. I make a fictitious foundation profile and make a fake list of people, who have given to charity, so it could drive other people to give money,” said Nawawi, who claimed that he only did this during Ramadhan.

Sukarame itself is long known as “the kampong of beggars” because many of its residents have become beggars.

Dede Suhendri, the executive director of the Institute of Child Advocacy (LADA), said that poverty was to blame for the increasing number of child beggars.

“It is also about the mentality. Most seasonal beggars, who operate during Ramadhan, are those who want to make easy money,” said Dede.

“Even though the city administration has issued a bylaw that forbids people from giving money to beggars at public areas, it is a difficult thing to be carried out, especially during Ramadhan,” he added.