Indra Harsaputra, Surabaya – The country may have celebrated its 62nd anniversary last week, but the scavengers of East Java feel far from in charge of their lives.
Scavengers took part in an Independence Day contest organized by Al-Falah Social Fund Foundation in Surabay, East Java, where they read the proclomation of independence. "Merdeka (Freedom)...," yelled Kusnanto, who took part in the contest by dressing up like Sukarno himself.
He did not win but said he was proud that he had read the proclamation like Sukarno, his idol. "I hope the country's independence might improve scavengers' welfare since our life has not changed, since the country was led by (former president) Soeharto to SBY (President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono) now," said the 53-year-old, who lives in a makeshift home in the Rangkah area.
Kusnanto was accompanied by his wife, 50-year-old Mustika, who is also a scavenger. The couple, originally from Lamongan in East Java, moved to Surabaya in the 1970s in the hopes of making a better living but limited skills and education forced them to give up their dreams.
"We live a hard life, earning Rp 10,000 a day as scavengers. I've tried to run a business but could not get a loan since I have no Surabaya identity card," Mustika said.
Kusnanto earns a little extra money driving a pedicab and Mustika by selling vegetables bought with money she borrowed from a loan shark. "We've worked hard but still life doesn't treat us better because the loan shark demands high interest," she said.
The couple's life was slightly improved when Al-Falah gave them an interest-free loan, which Mustika used to open up a kiosk selling groceries. But fresh problems hit them when the government raised fuel prices, which pushed up the basic cost of living.
"Before the fuel price hike, the kiosk could make up to Rp 100,000 a day but after the hike, many people shopped less and the kiosk could raise only Rp 50,000," Mustika said.
Another scavenger, 70-year-old Nurhadi, has had a similarly bitter life. After living in Surabaya for years, the old man has no permanent home. He lives on the streets and bathes and drinks from the filthy Surabaya River.
"I suffered a hard life during the struggle for independence. Life got better under president Soeharto but under SBY life has become harder again, just like during the period when we fought for independence," Nurhadi said.
He said that when Soeharto was in power, he never ate rotten rice but these days it was a regular occurrence because he could not afford fresh food.
"Under Soeharto, I felt the meaning of independence. Under SBY, prices are so high and many policies don't side with the poor, such as the eviction of people from their homes," he said.
The coordinator of the foundation's Scavenger Welfare Program, Aries Munandar, urged the Surabaya administration to pay attention to the scavengers who have helped the city deal with its trash problem.
"I hope that during the Independence Day celebrations, the government will pay attention to their rights too. Let's not just make the day a ceremonial event without improving people's welfare," he said.
Head of the Surabaya city Legislative Council, Musyafak Rouf, said the city administration had allocated Rp 400 billion annually to provide cheap rice for the poor, free education, medication and other aid.
"But the problem is, many poor people, including scavengers, are not officially listed as Surabaya residents. They are not listed since they don't have permanent homes.
"Before, we considered a plan to give them easy access to identity cards so they can get assistance. But the idea has encouraged more beggars and others to enter Surabaya and set up illegal buildings. Surabaya is a crowded city so we limit new residents from other towns," Musyafak said.