The
lively annual celebration of Idul Fitri is back again. Almost all villagers
welcome the great days with enthusiasm and joy. The Lebaran celebrations cannot
be separated from the homecoming tradition, or "mudik", in most parts
of the country.
The
phenomenon of people traveling from the cities to their home villages is
understandable, because economic development in Indonesia is still concentrated
in big cities, especially in Java. As a result, there are massive migration
flows from areas that are still economically untapped to cities.
The
lure of the big city that promises a variety of facilities and huge economic
incentives has become a magnet for workers with a good level of education,
skills or expertise. Given this situation, hardly any young workers want to
stay in their villages.
It is
interesting to note that the traditional mudik still continues and appears to
be unaffected by the changing times. The rapid progress in telecommunications has
not deterred people from heading home for Idul Fitri. In fact, modern
technology now allows for communication not only by telephone but also by
email, or even by video streaming. However, the desire to meet in person and
see ones relatives face-to-face outweighs the challenges of going home. High
transportation costs and heavy traffic congestion are unable to discourage the
people from their homecoming romances.
From
this phenomenon, we can infer that in migration there is a trade-off between
economic considerations and strong socio-cultural aspects. It can be concluded
that if there were economic alternatives, migration could become the
least-preferred option for many people.
The
migration of workers with good educational backgrounds and high skills
contributes to the widening development gap, dimming hopes of expediting
structural economic transformation in regions and villages.
In
fact, even regions blessed with abundant natural resources are abandoned by
productive workers. As a result, many potential resources waiting to be
developed lie idle and neglected.
The
high conversion of agricultural land is caused by a lack of economic incentives
in the agricultural business. It is also caused by low productivity amid an
absence of modern technology and quality seeds. Post-harvest technology is also
limited.
In
fact, the village has tremendous potential resources for horticulture, animal
husbandry, fisheries and other marine production. If rural areas could be
developed into food and horticulture production centers, then a great variety
of food and beverage businesses would become the economic backbone of the
regions.
Certainty
on demand could become an economic incentive for farmers, as well as certainty
on prices, especially during harvest time. Moreover, investment into adequate
logistic systems could reduce the risk of fruits and vegetables rotting. The
availability of a variety of vegetables and fresh fruit from rural areascould
ensure that demand from restaurants and hotels is met by domestic production,
reducing dependence on imported supplies.
If
cattle farming could flourish, not just could the meat shortage be overcome,
but also the reliance on imported milk and leather for the footwear industry
could be reduced. Moreover, the commitment to promote downstream industries in
palm oil, rubber, cocoa and other agricultural productioncould be materialized.
To
support such activities, the government only needs to provide basic
infrastructure and facilitate investment in rural areas. Each region will not
only have added value, but also be capable of exporting manufactured products
of high competitiveness. More jobs could be created, imports reduced, and
exports expanded.
The
momentum of the homecoming traditional could be used to lessen the development
gap between urban and rural areas. This could happen if migrants or urban
dwellers that have become successful in major cities became aware of and could
exploit a wide range of business prospects in their home towns. It could start
with them investing in productive activities in their respective hometowns.
If such
efforts could be carried out intensively, this could attract larger investors
to invest massively in agriculture and rural areas. In addition, it would also
provide awareness that investment in this sector will be much more sustainable
than investment in the property sector.
This
could be realized if the mudik was not only seen as a romantic tradition but
instead be regarded an effort to realize the love of the homeland in more
concrete ways. One of these would be for people to develop the economic
potential of their respective villages. At least it couldstart with a small
step by buying local products as a form of support for the economic empowerment
of the region. The expectation is that equitable development can promote
welfare across the country. Happy homecoming!
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