Selamat Hari Raya Idul Fitri 2020

To all my Muslim friends, I send greetings, just as they always wish me a Merry Christmas.

Not so many this year are hitting the trail to their home-towns, far from Jakarta, and they will be missing their friends and families back in the hinterland.

=

Virus Jakarta – Good Citizen Attacked, Louts Unpunished

“Pak President asked all of us to work even harder and encourage communities to be more disciplined and officials to be stricter, so we can start going back to a normal life in July..”

…

.

That’s from the chief of Indonesia’s virus task force, and more power to the man, whom we see on tv every day.

But what  are the Jakarta authorities actually doing to ‘encourage communities to be more disciplined?’

While so many decent people in Jakarta are faithfully following the rules, a good citizen has been forced to apologise for..guess what?

.

.

Being a good citizen!

Mr.Aselih, aged 62, lives in the Pulo Gadung area of the capital and admirably reported a ‘religious’ crowd of klutzes who violated the very clear anti-virus rules by attending a ‘tarawih,’ a mass gathering at a local mosque!

Aselih tagged a video of their arrogant violation to Governor Anies Baswedan’s official account.

..

• 
• Anies Baswedan in campaign mode

.

Quite rightly, for Anies Baswedan has said that anyone found violating the PSBB measures, such as individuals participating in public gatherings and offices of nonessential companies remaining open, would be punished…

Damn right!

But that crowd in Pulo Gadung have not, apparently, been punished, not even a little bit.

Instead, Mr. Aselih’s home came under attack by a gang of vile cowardly louts.

https://video.tribunnews.com/view/142138/kesaksian-korban-pengrusakan-rumah-oleh-sekelompok-remaja-di-pulogadung

You can see for yourselves the anti-social yellow-bellies in action, mob ‘courage,’ the kind of hoodlums who would run like mangy rats from a fair fight.

His garden was wrecked and fireworks hurled at his house.

https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2020/04/27/teenagers-vandalize-house-after-owner-informs-jakarta-governor-about-mass-prayer.html

The police have not arrested the rabble.

It seems they have not even had an official report – the Pulogadung district head, Bambang Pangestu, says the gutless curs have merely ‘been advised not to repeat their actions.
“They will be reported to the police if they carry out a similar action in the future,” he said.

Indonesian Muslims hold congregational Ramadan prayers despite COVID-19 warnings

Instead, the good citizen, Mr. Aselih, after ‘mediation’ with un-named ‘religious’ and other persons, has felt obliged to apologise for doing his civic duty.

An apology?!?

And a cowed deletion of  the video he sent to the governor?

.

.

The right and proper course of action, in my view, would be for the authorities to make an example of the uppity berks who wilfully flouted the rules.

While shariah floggings are only used in Indonesia’s Aceh Province, those obnoxious young Jakarta douche-bags who ran amok in revenge deserve to be publicly shamed, paraded in manacles through the streets,  then jailed…

.

.

…for years, rather than months.

I would have hoped that the very least Governor Anies Baswedan could do might include a visit to Mr. Aselih, personally to congratulate him.

And if the Governor’s in the neighbourhood, he could also pay a call on the buffoons who broke the rules and tell them that if they dare step out of line again, ever, then fines and/or jail-time will be their reward.

Otherwise, why would the governor expect the rest of us to listen to his exhortations?

Matahari Department Store In Ramadhan Knees Panic?

Traffic in Jakarta yesterday was a delight, a real change from the usual nightmare.

=

The USUAL!

=

First day of Ramadhan, so kids off school, people staying home for family fun. It took me under an hour to get from home to Blok M, where I’d a lunch-time rendezvous with some Indonesian friends. I say lunch-time rather than lunch, because they were fasting.

Arriving way too early, I decided to hang out at JCO with my recently acquired IPad and have a non-fasting coffee while communicating with important folks overseas.

==

=

Oh no!  JCO no longer has a Blok M Plaza outlet!

Never one to waste a trip, I went downstairs and bought some potatoes in Giant supermarket.

=

=

Then, in case there might be handy discounts in Matahari, I ascended to that fine department store and….

HUH?!?!

One of the joys of shopping there has always been their personnel department’s choice of staff.

=

=

Matahari shop assistants are almost without exception very pretty. Their uniforms – as above, though I didn’t take that photo myself –  comprise red tops and black skirts, look smart ,and, while not overtly sexy, enhance the employees’ good looks.

But when I entered, I saw to my dismay that the girls have all been TROUSERED!

Needless to say, I made enquiries and was calmly informed that they had been ORDERED to abandon the skirts for the duration of Ramadhan.

Can this be true?

My further enquiries, if this bizarre diktat applied to only Muslim staff or was it being imposed on Christian, Hindu or Buddhist girls  – who obviously do not, and are not required to, observe the Islamic Holy Month –  went unanswered.

Either the people I spoke to didn’t know or were unwilling to say more.

This is worth asking about, given the fuss made every year by Islamist fanatics, when stores ask staff to wear Santa hats.

Jemaah Ansharusy Sharia, which aims to spread leaflets about the ban on use of Christmas  accessories by Muslims. In the leaflet, JAS forbids Muslims to help Christians who were preparing for Christmas.

——–

Outfit NEVER seen in ANY Jakarta mall!

———

They also appealed to employers not to force Muslim employees to wear Christmas accessories.  http://www.harianindo.com/2014/12/19/34805/fpi-meminta-agar-perayaan-natal-tidak-menganggu-pemeluk-agama-lain/

‘FORCE’ is surely the key word.

If Matahari girls want to wear trousers, at Ramadhan, because they think a glimpse of their nice knees might distract the devout from the introspection demanded by their creed at this time of year, okay, that’s one thing.

I find it unlikely, because the uniform skirts are perfectly respectable, hardly micro-minis. Even so, they can take their case to management.

But for management arbitrarily to order a cover-up of ALL knees?

What’s wrong with knees anyway?

=

 In Sumatra, Knee-ophobia Rules! No Knees is GOOD Knees! 

Well, lots, according to certain authorities on the subject!

Fear And Loathing of Knees In MaIaysia, Truly Arabia! 

ooooooooooooo

I don’t expect Jakarta’s somewhat lack-lustre journo pack to pursue the issue, but would be happy to hear from anyone with info, or just an opinion.

Oh, and did Matahari supply the trousers, or did the girls have to pay for them? Another question to which the answer might seem obvious.

But in Jakarta, nothing is quite as predictable as it ought to be!

PS.

If you do drop by, the effort will not be entirely wasted, Some of the SPGs – as is usually the case with SPGs –

Jakarta Fair – SPGs Alone Make PRJ Worth The Trip! 

– are still dressed in very feminine skirts!

If You’re Out On The Town In Jakarta Tonight, Beware!

Just saw the news on Trans TV, the white-shirt FPI thug-gang went ahead and staged a ‘takbir’ tonight, starting about now, despite an appeal from Jakarta City Police not to hold takbir around Jakarta.

The FPI  – the Defenders of Islam Front – are notorious cowardly bullies. Just put the letters into our search box over there to the right. 

=

FPI – sectarian hate-gang on the march in Jakarta

=

Takbir is a kind of parade/motorcade marking the end of the fasting month. They obviously cause traffic congestion and general inconvenience and have in previous years degenerated into brawling.

Peace? Ramadan Convoys “Often Taunt and Fight Each Other!” 

===

 “We will still carry out our takbir tour in various areas including Jakarta, because the takbir tour is local wisdom and part of syiar Islam…”

So said Slamet Maarif, Jakarta FPI Gauleiter, resplendent in his local wisdom.

In other words, shariah trumps all.

Indonesia ‘Scholars’ Council

==

Much the same arrogance we heard from the MUI, the state-sponsored Islamic self-styled ‘scholars,’ a few years ago.

An official with the Indonesian Council of Ulema (MUI) has criticized the Jakarta Police’s call to curb the amount of Idul Fitri prayer convoys in the capital, alleging it as an attempt to “defy” and “belittle” Islam.

————–

• Tengku
• ———-

• MUI deputy secretary-general Tengku Zulkarnain…criticized the police’s suggestion to limit takbir-chanting — often called takbiran in Indonesian — within the confinement of mosques.
• ==

• Holy convoys!
• ===========================
• “The excuse they use to ban these takbiran convoys is no different than defying Islamic teachings.  Their ban on this is an attempt to belittle Islam.” http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/jakarta/mui-official-slams-jakarta-police-call-to-limit-takbiran/

Which of course was hogwash when he said it, as it is today.

The great majority of police here are Muslim, as one would expect in a 90% Muslim country, and some at senior levels have even shown themselves well-disposed to the fanatic FPI!

=

Indonesia’s Top Cop Calls IslamoNazi Gang ‘Very Tolerant!’ 

Of course the police are not out to ‘belittle Islam.’

They presumably want to keep the streets safe and orderly.

But Tengku has in the not-so-distant past shown signs of a persecution complex. ‘…the Koran has already instructed Muslims about the deceitfulness of the enemies of Islam.’ 

Top ‘Scholar’ – “Amazing Muslim Advance in West Scares Islam’s Enemies!” 

Last word to Slamet.

=

 

“If there are limited personnel for security purposes, they can work with Islamic organizations in Jakarta, instead of reversing silly policies that are not popular,” said Slamet.   http://www.cnnindonesia.com/nasional/20170624154819-20-223954/fpi-gelar-takbir-keliling-meski-dilarang-polisi/

In other words, hand over policing of Islamist parades to people like Slamet’s own Islamist louts.

Won’t that be a wonderful day?

Pray to whichever God you worship that it may never dawn in Indonesia.

 

Islamist Intolerance Rules, In ‘Moderate’ Police State!

Well now!

Even Amnesty agrees with me on this!

They have condemned the imprisonment of a man in Tunisia for smoking a cigarette in public during the dawn-to-dusk Muslim fast.

=

=

I’ve been smoking all over town here in Jakarta, a 90% Muslim city, and not noticed that anybody looks askance. My lunches are still taken at my warteg, though it has its ‘holy’ curtains up out front.

Big Mackistan? Ramadhan Lock-Out at McD Sarinah?

I find this month wearisome, partly from reading snippets of of news from outside Jakarta.. 

Bigot Goon-Squad Bullies Vendor – Decent Indonesians Open Hearts AND Wallets!

…where sectarian bullying can be the work of IslamoNazi thugs…

…or may well be enshrined in local regulations – like in Mandar, where dozens of people were harassed and detained  by cops, local militia and religious leaders and community leaders, last week.

==

…the local government has written to every food stall and beverage owner so that during Ramadan do not operate during the day in honor of Muslims who are running fast. But still many stalls reported residents remain open as usual….“All the food stalls that remain operational during the day during Ramadan will be disciplined, “said H Ummar S, head of Wonomulyo.

That’s a Javanese community, in West Sulawesi Province, not in Java at all, it exists due to trans-island migration, some people having evidently carried their bigotry with them,

Jakarta also has some bizarre regulations, and my partying opportunities are lessened. There are those silly curtains to hide non-fasters from fasters, to avoid testing the latter’s spiritual commitment, but life goes on.

Not so in Tunisia.

A crack-pot bigot court there sentenced the man to one month in jail for “public indecency”.

Tunisia, we keep getting told, is a ‘moderate’ Islamic country, but after this hogwash we’ll need to take that with a large pinch of salt.

Not to say there aren’t decent Muslims there, because dozens protested on Sunday in the capital, Tunis, for the right to eat and drink in public during Ramadan.

=============

• 

=

But the nut-job verdict was hardly a one-off, because the BBC also tells us that a fortnight ago, four men were sentenced to one month in prison after eating in public.

Thanks to Amnesty, for advising us that in fact there is no legal basis for the sectarian persecution – there are no laws in mainly Muslim Tunisia requiring individuals to fast or barring them from eating or smoking publicly during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan…

Tunisian smoker jailed for not fasting during Ramadan

In other words, the state can spuriously claim to be civilised and open because there’s no relevant statute, but the reality is that the benighted courts just make it up as they go along to hammer anyone who steps out of line…

===

….shoddy drivel like a ‘public decency’ charge to lend a threadbare legitimacy to their backward bullying Islamist intolerance.

Ramadhan just has a few days to run. It’s meant to be a time of contemplation, not a bad idea, indeed.

I’m simply contemplating which is worse.

The Tunisian hypocrisy way, or the West Sulawesi way, with its Dark Age diktat.

I’m still wondering.

Why can’t these crude kill-joys just live and let live?

 

An Odd Islamist Boy In The Big Apple!

“Obviously the date wasn’t the best date,” said senior Pakeza Sahbbir, who will be not attending. “You’re not suppose to listen to music during Ramadan, so that’s why it’s not really allowed.”  http://abc7ny.com/society/nyc-school-wont-move-prom-over-ramadan-conflict/2027911/

That’s from an ABC report about some high school in New York which has apparently been put under pressure for holding its students’ prom during Ramadhan. I hear there’s been an appeasement pledge from the authorities not to do so ever again.

The rise and rise of Saudi America?

But it’s the sheer drivel from  the student quoted above that grabbed my attention.

  ‘Not supposed to listen to music?’ 

Who says?

Living here in the largest Muslim majority country in the world, it’s almost impossible NOT to listen to music during Ramadhan. If you channel surf, you’ll soon find tons of music, singing, dancing, capering about, all celebrating Ramadhan.

I just checked Kompas TV, ANTV and Indosiar, three popular channels, all ablare with good musical fun!

If you go shopping in the malls, the canned Islamic/Arabic music just goes on and on.

There no doubt are kill-joys around, all year long, like that cretinous cleric in Aceh…

———

Aceh’s Mad Mullah – ‘Dancing is EVIL – It Involves Body Movements!’ 

—————

…just as I have met rude bigot women, maybe two or three in all my nearly twenty years here, who wrap a cloth around their sectarian hands before deigning to shake mine…

Sweden – Rude Little Rat Plays Race Card! 

Swiss School Panders To Sectarian Brats! 

….just like those obnoxious sectarian brats we reported in Europe last year.

————

But MOST Muslims here enjoy listening to music, during Ramadhan as well as before and after Ramadhan.

Indonesia has many problems, including a definite and regrettable drift towards Arabisation,

But thanks be, any benighted fanatic like New York’s primitive young Pakeza would find himself a very odd man out in Jakarta.

 

Jakarta’s Annual Intolerance Outbreak- Billiards Banned Too?

First day of Ramadhan. I had my favourite visitor come to see me today, so only went out to Indomaret, for cigarettes.

=

=

I see from Tempo.com that my gloomy expectations of the fasting month have indeed come to pass, with kill-joy restrictions on anywhere fun might be found in Jakarta.

This annual intolerance – we may not enjoy ourselves so NONE of you will – will extend to six types of entertainments such as night club, spa, massage parlor, gambling, and night bar. The same goes for billiard spots.

====

===

It’s bad enough that Muslim citizens into self-denial are thus insulted, the Jakarta City Government basically deeming them so weak-willed that  bureaucrats have to protect them from all need to exercise self-discipline.

But there’s no justification at all for denying the hundreds of thousands of non-Muslim citizens ( and foreign residents )any access to entertainment. We are under no spiritual obligation to fast, so why make us suffer?

The  Jakarta Tourism and Culture Agency’s Jeje Nurjaman seems to feel no embarrassment in declaring that by this censorious sectarian decree…

===============

• 

=

…these places will be forced to shut down one day before and throughout the Ramadan month, and one day after the celebration of Eid al-Fitr.

Okay, we express the same disappointment every year, and still the rank Islamist intolerance prevails. It’s a mean-spirited mind-set, so be it.

But can their dogmatic approach at least accommodate a modicum of logic?

Meanwhile, karaoke and other musical entertainment spots that provide pool tables are allowed to open from 8:30 p.m. to 01:30 a.m.

However, Jeje went on, billiard tables provided for customers of night clubs, discotheques, saunas, massage parlors, gambling centers and bars must be closed.

So it’s not the game that’s affronting bigots but what might be going on in the immediate vicinity of the gaming tables?

==

==

Listening to karaoke music is spiritually safer than dancing to disco music?

Hmmm!

For God’s Sake!

And get this utterly nonsensical diktat.

….nightclubs that are not in the vicinity of residential areas, mosques or churches, schools, and hospitals, and are located in commercial areas, such as hotels, are allowed to be opened.

So we can all rush to hotels to indulge in base self-indulgence of our sensual impulses, but may not do so if we might emerge  in the wee small hours near a HOSPITAL?

Hey!

=

======

Jakarta sidewalks are often poorly maintained, and if you’ve had a few beers, it’s entirely within the bounds of possibility that you could quite easy stumble and fall. 

====

……….

Proximity to a hospital should arguably be a prerequisite for anywhere that has intoxicating beverages among their attractions!

And I won’t even bother to ask why churches are bracketed with mosques as places where users might face temptation they’re unable to resist.

Mosque-goers are expected to observe Ramadhan (though of course they should not be coerced, either by sticky-beak bureaucrats or IslamoNazi thugs) whereas church-goers are NOT! In the small English town I lived in for many years, it was normal practice for the congregants to walk directly from Sunday worship to Sunday lunch at the pub.

In fact, when I spent a long weekend in the lovely Shropshire city of Ludlow, there was a boisterous character at the bar as we were sitting down with a mixed grill on Sunday. I asked the bar-maid who he might be, for it seemed like he knew everyone.

‘That’s the vicar,’ she smilingly replied.  

Jakarta to Ban Entertainment Spots during Ramadan

Tempo.co–18 Mei 2017

Sunshine, On A Lazy Jakarta Saturday…But After Next Week?

 ====

Paper-backs purchased, a brief outing to SuperIndo to buy some beef for a rendang feast tonight, and we’ll see what delights the TV may have to offer.

===

===

A fine week drawing to a close, which began with a brilliant Sunday brunch, continued through two excellent parties…

……..

————

…AND there’s another next week, before the gloomy month of Ramadhan descends, restos and even humble street-eateries shrouded with silly curtains…

Big Mackistan? Ramadhan Lock-Out at McD Sarinah? 

IslamoNazi Thugs Amok, Jakarta Cops Say ‘No Charges!’ 

Bigot Goon-Squad Bullies Vendor – Decent Indonesians Open Hearts AND Wallets!

…to ensure no fanatical fasters risk challenge to their spiritual discipline at the sight of non-fasters enjoying a simple meal.

———–

• 

‘If we fasting Muslims want respect, let us also respect those who aren’t fasting.’

===

One misses the wisdom of the late President Gus Dur, who was a notable Muslim scholar, so different from so many of the intolerant Islamist self-styled ‘scholars’ these days.

Islamist ‘Scholars’ – “Don’t Complain if You’re Attacked!” 

Hence one must make the most of it, so today and tomorrow my plan is to relax, conserving energy for fun outings before May expires…

===

Bigot brutes attack a food vendor for its crime of serving lunchtime snacks to hungry workers.

====

…and once again the TV news may be presenting us with scenes of IslamoNazi thuggery, of which the above is a good example.

Or maybe not!

Perhaps now that jihadist ideologues have come to dominate both law and discourse here in Jakarta..

Slouching Towards Shariah, Indonesia Jails Ahok! 

. …they too will take a relaxed attitude towards those whose mere existence affronts their sectarian arrogance.

Oh Yeah?

====

==

R-E-S-P-E-C-T – That’s How Ramadhan Must Be, Mr. UK Ambassador!

Fascinated by the comments of Her Britannic Majesty’s Ambassador to Indonesia this week …

–

In his first year celebrating the annual Muslim celebration of Idul Fitri in Indonesia, British Ambassador to Indonesia Moazzam Malik says he feels the traditions of joy for Muslims are not that different from those observed in his native UK.

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/07/07/idul-fitri-tradition-in-ri-comparable-to-uk-envoy.html

As I prepare to go into town this beautiful Jakarta morning, I am looking forward to seeing the trappings of intolerance gone from fancy restos and humble eateries alike. 

I refer of course to those offensive curtains erected in their windows, to which I made reference very recently.

Big Mackistan? Ramadhan Lock-Out at McD Sarinah? 

 

Lukman

=========

Those who do not fast must respect those who fast and vice versa, Religious Affairs Minister Lukman Hakim Saifuddin said…  http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/06/13/tolerance-and-mutual-respect-a-must-during-ramadhan-religious-affairs-minister.html

Lukman is of course correct,  echoing a similar sentiment I’ve often quoted, the words of the late President Gus Dur.

———–

• 

‘If we fasting Muslims want respect, let us also respect those who aren’t fasting.’

===

If somebody wants to go from pre-dawn to dusk without eating and drinking, and manages to do so, I respect his or her tenacity, and would not seek to interfere in such acts of self-denial.

---

—

Equally, anyone, of any faith, who wishes to eat and/or drink during those hours should feel free to do so, unmolested by either IslamoNazi thugs like the FPI…

IslamoNazi Thugs Amok, Jakarta Cops Say ‘No Charges!’ 

… or by sectarian fanatics like those benighted local government regulators up there in darkest Serang, in Banten Province.   Bigot Goon-Squad Bullies Vendor – Decent Indonesians Open Hearts AND Wallets!

Lukman again – “During Ramadhan, the holy month, we must reinforce and strengthen our tolerance, not only among the Ukhuwah Islamiyah [Islamic brotherhood], but also the Ukhuwah Wathaniyah [brotherhood of the nation],” he told journalists at the State Palace.

I like Lukman.

Even when I disagree with him, he is such a refreshing improvement on his predecessor, Suryadharma Ali, a politician so beyond the ken of normal folk…

—————–

 

White-shirt fuhrer Rizieq with Ali.

———–

…..that he was prepared to accept awards from those afore-mentioned IslamoNazis.  Good Indonesians Denounce ArchBigot Ali’s Latest Intolerant Outburst

oooo

But it would be good if Lukman tried to be a little more pro-active. He could take a giant leap for fair play, tell his government colleagues to give up on kill-joy diktats which target those not abstaining from fun…

Ramadhan Begins! Sectarian Reminders Issued! 

 But even a small step would be progress of sorts, a ministerial exhortation to all the warungs, wartegs, restos and all eateries in Jakarta to remove those ridiculous pieces of cloth draped across their windows during Ramadhan.

They have two disadvantages.

00000000000000000000

• 

• First, you can’t watch girls go by if you are sitting within.

===============================

Second, and arguably more compelling, the silly little sheets are a condescending insult to every fasting Muslim who passes the place.

Those draped windows mock their tenacity and suggest their commitment to self-denial is as flimsy as the cheap cotton of which the curtains are usually made.

—

—

As if the sight or smell of sate kambing or nasi goreng would bring them to break their fast!

Rather they should welcome such temptations, which can demonstrate they’re above mundane distractions. 

oooooooooooooooo

Back to Pak Malik. 

“There are a lot of Muslims in London, and even if we are not the majority, we observe traditions that are similar to those in Indonesia, such as pilgrimages to family graves, gathering with family for meals and silaturahmi,” Ambassador Malik said on Wednesday.

Yes, Your Excellency, those are nice traditions, worthy of respect, and yesterday I sent out quite a few SMSes wishing various friends ‘Selamat Idul Fitri,‘ the local equivalent of ‘Merry Christmas,’ with which, despite the ranting bigots’ manic antics…

IslamoNazi Christmas Warning – Don’t You Dare Disturb Us Bigots! 

…they greet me in December.

But there are other very different ‘traditions’ here, like sectarian sticky-beak raiding parties… 

Ramadan Raids In Righteous Indonesia – Oh Yeah? 

—————

…which are staged not only by the white-shirt hoods but by tax-funded civic militia and the constabulary, which need to be STAMPED OUT if Indonesia wants to show the world that it’s a better place to be than the shariah police states in the Middle East.  

It’s important that readers in Western nations should remember that their nations too face the intrusion of primitive intolerance.

We saw it in France this year…

IslamoNazi Intimidation…in Nice, France! 

 …and we’ve seen this vile phenomenon in London too, maybe not in Harrow, where Mr. Malik grew up, but most certainly in Tower Hamlets, and elsewhere in England.

Police ‘covered up’ violent campaign to turn London area ‘Islamic …

And what, may we ask, did Home Secretary Theresa May ever do about that?

Will Theresa May Countenance A Ban On Nobbly Knees? 

But then, she has some odd notions, hasn’t she?

Jakarta – Ramadhan Hell for Affluent Sloths!

Jakarta is a walker’s delight at this time of year.

No, I don’t means ‘Walkers’ as in my fave tv series The Walking Dead!

———

————

Sensible foreigners do not emulate the hordes of Jakartans who flee the city for Ramadhan. Instead they make the most of it, a traffic-free trip into town on the buses, kopajas and angkots, then a nice long stroll in the pleasant leafy Menteng area.

But listen to a horror story that dominates conversation among the indolent spoilt-brat class this month.

…the “no maids” issue is a major part of the Lebaran season when domestic workers pack their bags after working so hard away from their loved ones for the whole year. Even before they leave, the prospect of the house without them brings on headaches.

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/07/02/no-maids-hotels.html

Pathetic.

These little maids do not usually do jobs that require hi-tech skills. They do indeed work hard, cooking, cleaning, washing and ironing, and deserve all praise for their diligence.

But none of those tasks is beyond even the most dimwit rich b—-.

Heck, I’m a bloke! My lovely local warteg closed down on Saturday, for a week at least, everyone heading back to Tegal…

———

——

…so it’s my time to boil spuds, open cans of baked beans, fry bacon and eggs, or seek out the few cheap eateries that remain open – and I’ve not found one nearby that matches the fine cuisine I can get for $1.50 at the place that’s temporarily closed.  

If I can handle it, any slothful bint who spends all year lounging in fancy coffee shops in the plush malls can get off her idle ass…

—-

———

…and throw together a meal for her husband and her probably over-fed and pampered kids, who can also get stuck into household chores and get an idea of what real life is like.

Yet as somebody (name unlisted) wrote in the JP last week, such a simple matter is seen as a headache – the Sloth Family Jakarta will head off to hotels with attractive discounts and promotions: “No maids? Just check in!” http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/07/02/no-maids-hotels.html!

Thus they miss out on a golden opportunity to have a daily series of picnics, easy eats and each child given a mop or a brush and told to pull their (often considerable) weight!

Making a meal is NOT hard to do, and can even be fun, as when I got stuck in and made my own Christmas Dinner!

—————-

 – 

My Christmas Dinner!

—————

My Home-Cooked Xmas Dinner – New Career In Catering? 

I had to laugh at the JP anonymous writer’s turn of phrase –  the career woman or housewife near to collapsing during the Lebaran season – as if serving up meals is somehow akin to slave labour!

Career women, who go out to work, will not be going out to work this week, so using the microwave won’t wear them out. But a lot of those ‘housewives’ use little pembantus, maids, to do all the housework!

And as for those awful stuck-up bints you see hanging about malls, with their kids in the custody of more little Javanese teen nurse-maids, trailing behind lazy mothers who can’t be bothered to look after their own children…

YUK!

My own life this week could be better. I enjoy having house guests…

—

• …but my usual visitors have indeed gone home to their kampungs!

So I prudently hit Lotte Mart last week and bought enough of those cheap paperbacks to alleviate my solitude.

And I have blogging to keep me busy.

But a wee bit of housework? Big deal.

And the JP guy or gal makes the very good point, that maybe, just maybe, the people who have to behave like grown-ups for a change, looking after themselves and their families, will appreciate their pembantus more  – and support those who campaign for a better deal for those over-worked and underpaid young ladies.