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View all search resultsEconomic woes, disasters dim Independence Day celebrations
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This handout photo taken and released on Monday by the National Search and Rescue Agency (BASARNAS) shows a rescuer conducting operations near a collapsed mosque following a 7.7-magnitude earthquake in Satar Kampas village, East Manggarai, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT). The 7.7-magnitude quake early on Saturday killed 54 people and injured more than 100. Rescue officials have said there were no reports of people missing. (AFP/Handout / Basarnas)
I
ndonesia’s 81st Independence Day celebrations took on a subdued tone in parts of the country this year, with some communities scaling back festivities or opting out altogether amid economic pressures, political discontent and a series of devastating natural disasters.
The muted mood stood in contrast to the usual August scenes, when red-and-white flags adorn houses and buildings, colorful pennants line streets and alleys and communities gather for games and other festivities marking Indonesia’s independence from colonial rule in 1945.
In Bantul, Yogyakarta, 38-year-old English teacher Frida welcomed her neighborhood’s decision not to hold its annual Independence Day celebration, questioning the need for festivities as many residents struggle to make ends meet.
“What is there to celebrate? Are we even truly liberated? [...] People just aren’t really into celebrating. They would have to pay out of their own pockets for the event, while most people’s finances aren’t doing very well,” Frida told The Jakarta Post on Sunday.
Read also: Search for quake victims underway on Independence Day
Similar sentiments were expressed by Nopita, a 53-year-old doctor in Central Java, who opted out of this year’s celebrations and did not put up the national flag outside her home.
“I’m heartbroken with the government,” she said on Saturday, citing frustration with several costly government programs that did not sit right with her, including the multitrillion-rupiah free nutritious meal program marred by corruption scandals and mass food poisoning incidents.
