Mudik, A Long Way Home

In dictionaries, ‘mudik’ is translated as ‘go back to one’s native village at Lebaran’, and ‘pemudik’ is translated as ‘someone who is going home to his native village, particularly to celebrate Lebaran with his family’. ‘Mudik’ has been a living tradition among Indonesian Moslems for long. ‘Mudik’ is not merely a need to go back to a special place one belongs to; it is a way to bring home and search for mental comfort and an annual get together among people tied to common family happiness.

‘Mudik’ has been such an important moment for ‘pemudiks’, and for the relatives the ‘pemudik’s are coming for. So important that they dare to do anything to make the ‘mudik’ meaningful. You can have a long list of what ‘pemudiks’ do to make their ‘mudik’: a year-long saving, a bulk of cookies and gifts for their relatives, and a high gusto to deal with the travelling home challenge.

[caption id="attachment_194635" align="aligncenter" width="537" caption="Illustration (Photo : Nadia Seassi Roesdiono)"][/caption]

Challenge? Yes, travelling home to your native village might be a short and easy one, it might also be a long, tiresome, hard and hazardous one. Not all ‘pemudiks’ are lucky enough to have their going home smooth and easy. Some have to undergo a ridiculous, hard, difficult and challenging one, and even have to come up with the least favourable thing : traffic accident!

Kompas Newspaper (22 August 2012) reports that during the 10-day of ‘mudik’ season this year, there were 5,130 traffic accidents, out of which 3,537 cases involved motorcycles. Death toll is recorded at 574 lives and still counting as there might be more accidents during the ‘arus balik’ (returning to where they work and live). Kompas blames the national government for failing to provide safe travelling environment and strict regulations to prevent more casualties.

Yes, this country might need a better way of avoiding more deaths from traffic accidents each ‘mudik’ time. But who can prevent ‘pemudiks’ with motorcycles from riding the only transport they have home? Yes, it is ridiculous to see a single motorcycles with three, four or even five passengers (the other one, two or three on board are usually small kids) complete with their things they carry. Yes, it is ridiculous this motorcyclistssometimes have to travel very long exhausting way along which they are highly exposed a fatal traffic accident due to heavy and outrageous traffic.

These ‘pemudiks’ are there for a sole reason : a rewarding family gathering in their hometown. If the government is serious about providing these ‘pemudiks’ with safer means of transport, maybe it should start with what I call as ‘lebaran travelling plan’ which includes provision of a more decent transport alternative. The government should start requiring employers of employees with motorcycles to have a kind of ‘lebaran travelling saving’ deducted from the employees’ salary each month. The saving can then be used to pay for decent transport for the employees’ family.

Another suggestion aired as to restrict the use of motorcycleswith more than two passengers for ‘mudik’ travelling is the traffic regulation prohibiting such kind of travelling. But will this automatically solve the problem? I don’t think so. It is not that easy. These kind of motorists are determined people, who are braving anything just to have their rewarding lebaran at home made. This year they may read a newspaper report detailing stories of fatal motorcycles accidents that takes the lives of the passengers; next year they with their beloved onesmay be on the newspaper.

Therefore, my friends, if you plan to ride your motorbike home next lebaran with your beloved ones and things aboard, think twice and think about your future and your beloved ones’ future. You may need the motorbike to travel around your village, but think about reserving train tickets and have your motorbike on board the cargo car of the train. It will be much safer and you can enjoy your long travelling home to your hometown in a more rewarding one, especially to the people you are travelling home for. They will be much happier if you and your kids come intact!

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