TRASHPICKER WENT ON TRAIN TO BURY HIS DAUGHTER

Translated from Indonesian Newspaper, Salemba, Warta Kota

Jakarta’s officials were shocked by citizen who had to carry his daughter’s dead body because he were not able to rent ambulance. All passangers on train destination Jakarta-Bogor were very surprised last Sunday (5/6) because they noticed a trashpicker named, Supriono (38 years old), were carrying a child’s dead body, Khaerunisa (3 years old). Supriono was going to bury his child at Kampung Kramat, Bogor, by taking the train.

But at Tebet station, Supriono was forced to get down from the train and arrested at Police Station because he was suspected of killing the child. Although Supriono had said that his child died because of accute diarrhea, polices did not believe him and forced him to take the dead body to RSCM (a hospital) to be autopsied.

At RSCM, Supriono explained that Khaerunisa has been four days in diarrhea. He has brought Khaerunisa to Setiabudi subdistrict clinic “I only brought her once to the clinic. I didn’t have enough money to bring her there anymore, although the clinic fee is only Rp. 4000 (in AUD = 4000/8000 = 0.5 AUD or 50 cents), I’m only a trash picker with income of Rp 10000 per day (in AUD = 1.25 dollar)” said the father of two children who lives under the bridge of Cikini’s railways. Supriono can only hope that Khaerunisa will be cured by herself. During her sickness, Khaerunisa, laying down on her father’s cart, sometimes still followed her father and brother, Muriski Saleh (6 years old), to pick cardboards in Manggarai to Salemba.

But finally, Khaerunisa died on Sunday (5/6) at 7.00 in the morning. Khaerunisa died in front of her father, while still laying down on that dirty cart, among those dirty cardboards. There’s no one, except her father and her brother. Supriono and Muriski can only watch silently. His money on the pocket is only Rp. 6000 (75 cents), it wouldn’t enough to buy his daughter a shroud to wrap her dead body properly. Renting an ambulance is also impossible. Finally, Supriono took Musriki to push the cart from Manggarai until Tebet station. Supriono wanted to bury his daughter in trashpicker village in Kramat, Bogor. He hoped that he would get help from his friends, the other trashpickers.

At 10.00, the cart arrived at Tebet station. What’s left was only a piece of cloth that was then used to wrap his daughter’s dead body. He didn’t wrap the head so people wouldn’t notice Khaerunisa had died. He hold his son’s hand and entered the station.

When the train arrived, suddenly a seller came and asked about his daughter. He then explained that his child had died and will be brought to Bogor. When other passangers heard that, they were all surprised and gathered around him. Supriono was directly brought to Tebet police station. Police told Supriono to bring his daughter to RSCM by taking black ambulance.

Supriono didn’t want to do that and asked them to let him bury his daughter. But he can only wait for a confirmation letter from RSCM, while looking at his daughter who had slept silently forever.

Until now, Muriski, his brother had not understood that his sister had died. Sometimes he was still playing with his sister.

At 16.00, finally RSCM officer issued the letter, but because Supriono didn’t have money to rent an ambulance, Supriono had to walk while holding his daughter’s body to the station. Some passangers sympatizing by giving money to him for his journey to Bogor. Some sellers also give him bottles of mineral water for Supriono.

A psychologist, Sartono Mukadis, cried when he heard this story. He was really sad with this tragic incident because society and government these days are not aware of their citizens anymore. “This incident is the sin of society where we are the one who should take responsibility to bury his child. Do not make excuses like Supriono doesn’t have identity card or family identity card or even a permanent address. This is a shock for this nation”. He said.

Urban Poor Consortium Coordinator, Wardah Hafidz said that this kind of incident should not be happened if government provided free health services for poor people. What happened until this day is that government only fight the poverty, and do not care for the people living in the poverty, Wardah said.

~ by flanflygirl on June 24, 2009.