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New Straits Times
12-05-2025
- General
- New Straits Times
Begging for a living: Indonesia's silvermen struggle to make ends meet
JAKARTA: On a rainy day in Indonesia's capital Jakarta, three men coated in metallic paint known as the "manusia silver", or silvermen, brave the elements at an intersection near a mall to ask drivers for change. It is an arresting act that comes with health risks, one some young Indonesians feel is necessary to make ends meet as the cost of living worsens and jobs dwindle after the Covid-19 pandemic. "I'm ashamed to earn money like this. I want to find a real, more dignified job," says Mr Ari Munandar, 25. "But the embarrassment disappears when you remember that your daughter and your wife are at home." Barefoot, dressed only in shorts and daubed head to toe by the irritating paint, Mr Ari, his brother Keris and their friend Riyan Ahmad Fazriyansah each take a lane in the road. When the cars come to a stop, they strike robotic poses in front of the drivers. "Good afternoon, have a nice drive," says Mr Ari. The poses have little meaning other than to attract cash. "I do them because one day I saw a friend earn more by doing them," he says, moving between cars, holding out a bucket for donations. On a good day, they can pocket up to 200,000 rupiah (about RM51), but they typically earn around 120,000 rupiah. That is much less than Jakarta's monthly minimum wage of five million rupiah, and barely enough to cover daily expenses. "I'm not going to eat lunch; just drink and smoke," says Mr Ari. Every cent counts in a country where prices have risen steadily in recent years. The price for a kilogram of rice, the archipelago's main staple, jumped by 27 per cent between 2015 and 2025, according to statistics agency data. And behind the paint, the friends are clearly undernourished. None are taller than 1.72m nor weigh more than 55kg. A lack of employment opportunities is the main cause of young men and women taking to the streets, they say. "Since I was made redundant in 2019, I've been begging," says Mr Ari. "Before that, I worked cleaning toilets." According to government data, the number of people living below the poverty line in metropolitan Jakarta – a megalopolis of 11 million people – was up from 362,000 in 2019 to 449,000 as at September 2024. "Many young people with few qualifications between the ages of 20 and 40 have found themselves unemployed," says Mr Bhima Yudhistira, executive director of the Centre of Economic and Law Studies. "Even though there is no national count, there has been a huge rise in begging in Jakarta after the pandemic of 2021." After five hours at the intersection, the group returns home by hitching a ride on a tuk-tuk. The three pile into the back, counting their meagre earnings and lighting a cigarette to share. Once dropped off, they walk by a polluted river and across a railway line to their Jakarta slum. Far from the capital's high-rises, children play near the tracks to the rhythm of the trains as Mr Ari makes his way back to remove the silver. The paint, similar to that used for screen-printing on fabric, is not easy to remove. Squatting in front of a well and buckets filled with water, he splashes his body before scrubbing fiercely, his one-year-old daughter Arisya watching. "At first, the paint burned and I had a blister on my neck, but now it stings only my eyes," he says. The shower reveals a new, younger man. Once dry, he heads home to play with Arisya. "As soon as I'm here, I forget all the fatigue and the hardship," he says, smiling. "But I hope she never does what I do." - AFP
Express Tribune
10-05-2025
- Business
- Express Tribune
Indonesia's silver men surviving on the streets
On a rainy day in Indonesia's capital Jakarta, three men coated in metallic paint known as the "manusia silver", or silvermen, brave the elements at an intersection near a mall to ask drivers for change. It is an arresting act that comes with health risks, one some young Indonesians feel is necessary to make ends meet as the cost of living worsens and jobs dwindle after the COVID-19 pandemic. "I'm ashamed to earn money like this. I want to find a real, more dignified job," said Ari Munandar, 25. "But the embarrassment disappears when you remember that your daughter and your wife are at home." Barefoot, dressed only in shorts and daubed head to toe by the irritating paint, Ari, his brother Keris and their friend Riyan Ahmad Fazriyansah each take a lane in the road. When the cars come to a stop they strike robotic poses in front of the drivers. The poses have little meaning other than to attract cash. On a good day they can pocket up to 200,000 rupiah ($12), but typically earn around 120,000. That's much less than Jakarta's monthly minimum wage of five million rupiah and barely enough to cover daily expenses. Every penny counts in a country where prices have risen steadily in recent years. A kilogram (two pounds) of rice, the archipelago's main staple, jumped by 27 per cent between 2015 and 2025, according to statistics agency data. Meanwhile, according to government data, the number of people living below the poverty line in metropolitan Jakarta — a megalopolis of 11 million people - was up from 362,000 in 2019 to 449,000 as of September 2024. "Many young people with few qualifications between the ages of 20 and 40 have found themselves unemployed," said Bhima Yudistira, executive director of the Centre of Economic and Law Studies. After five hours at the intersection, the group returns home by hitchhiking a ride from a tuk-tuk. Far from the capital's high-rises, children play near the tracks to the rhythm of the trains as Ari makes his way back to remove the silver. Squatting in front of a well and buckets filled with water, he splashes his body before scrubbing fiercely, his one-year-old daughter Arisya watching. "At first the paint burned and I had a blister on my neck, but now it only stings my eyes," he said. Once dry, he heads home to play with Arisya. "As soon as I'm here I forget all the fatigue and the hardship," he says, smiling. "But I hope she never does what I do." afp
Asharq Al-Awsat
11-04-2025
- Business
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Apple's iPhone 16 Hits Indonesia Stores after Monthslong Ban
Smartphone buyers were cheered by shopkeepers in Jakarta on Friday after Apple's latest smartphone went on sale following a monthslong ban in Indonesia. The marketing and sale of iPhone 16 models was prohibited by the government in October over Apple's failure to meet regulation requiring that 40 percent of smartphone components be made from local parts, said AFP. But the US tech titan announced last month that its latest smartphone models would hit the shelves, weeks after striking a deal with the Indonesian government to invest in the country. Albert Wongso, 34, told AFP outside the store he was very happy to learn that the iPhone 16s were now available in Indonesia. "I'm very happy to hear from the news because we can buy the iPhone directly from Indonesia," the IT consultant told AFP Friday, adding that he was looking to buy the iPhone 16 Pro model to replace his iPhone 11. "Because if we buy from the other country... it's quite hard for example to claim the warranty," he said. While the ban was in place, the government had allowed iPhone 16 models to be brought into the country, provided they were not being traded commercially. A win for Apple Jakarta rejected a $100 million investment proposal from Apple in November, saying it lacked the "fairness" required by the government. The company later agreed to invest $150 million in building two facilities -- one in Bandung in West Java province to produce accessories, and another in Batam for AirTags. Industry Minister Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita said in February that Apple had also committed to building a semiconductor research and development center in Indonesia, calling it a "first of its kind in Asia". The iPhone 16's entry into the Indonesian market marks a win for Apple and signaled the economic importance of the country of 280 million people. "Indonesia is one of the biggest markets for Apple in the Asian region apart from China and so on," said Nailul Huda, director of digital economy at the think tank, Centre of Economic and Law Studies (CELIOS). The Indonesian government is considering relaxing regulation of the information and communication technology sector ahead of talks with the United States over President Donald Trump's tariffs. Chief economic minister Airlangga Hartarto is set to lead a delegation to Washington this month in the hope of striking a better deal after Trump announced a 90-day pause on the harshest tariff against US trading partners. Indonesia has also banned the sale of Google Pixel phones for failing to meet the 40 percent local parts requirement.
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Apple's iPhone 16 hits Indonesia stores after monthslong ban
Smartphone buyers were cheered by shopkeepers in Jakarta on Friday after Apple's latest smartphone went on sale following a monthslong ban in Indonesia. The marketing and sale of iPhone 16 models was prohibited by the government in October over Apple's failure to meet regulation requiring that 40 percent of smartphone components be made from local parts. But the US tech titan announced last month that its latest smartphone models would hit the shelves, weeks after striking a deal with the Indonesian government to invest in the country. Albert Wongso, 34, told AFP outside the store he was very happy to learn that the iPhone 16s were now available in Indonesia. "I'm very happy to hear from the news because we can buy the iPhone directly from Indonesia," the IT consultant told AFP Friday, adding that he was looking to buy the iPhone 16 Pro model to replace his iPhone 11. "Because if we buy from the other country... it's quite hard for example to claim the warranty," he said. While the ban was in place, the government had allowed iPhone 16 models to be brought into the country, provided they were not being traded commercially. - A win for Apple - Jakarta rejected a $100 million investment proposal from Apple in November, saying it lacked the "fairness" required by the government. The company later agreed to invest $150 million in building two facilities -- one in Bandung in West Java province to produce accessories, and another in Batam for AirTags. Industry Minister Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita said in February that Apple had also committed to building a semiconductor research and development centre in Indonesia, calling it a "first of its kind in Asia". The iPhone 16's entry into the Indonesian market marks a win for Apple and signalled the economic importance of the country of 280 million people. "Indonesia is one of the biggest markets for Apple in the Asian region apart from China and so on," said Nailul Huda, director of digital economy at the think tank, Centre of Economic and Law Studies (CELIOS). The Indonesian government is considering relaxing regulation of the information and communication technology sector ahead of talks with the United States over President Donald Trump's tariffs. Chief economic minister Airlangga Hartarto is set to lead a delegation to Washington this month in the hope of striking a better deal after Trump announced a 90-day pause on the harshest tariff against US trading partners. Indonesia has also banned the sale of Google Pixel phones for failing to meet the 40 percent local parts requirement. mrc/ebe/tc
South China Morning Post
14-03-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Indonesia eyes strategic Middle East pivot to diversify from China and US
Advertisement Last week, Indonesian Foreign Minister Sugiono met Qatar Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani during an official visit to Doha, where both sides agreed to enhance bilateral cooperation. Qatar also signed a Memorandum of Understanding to finance a major housing project in Indonesia, supporting President Prabowo Subianto 's pledge to triple the country's housing target to 3 million units this year. In February, Hashim Djojohadikusumo, Prabowo's brother and head of the new Housing Task Force overseeing the programme, revealed that Abu Dhabi's sovereign wealth fund had contemplated a similar commitment. This followed Abu Dhabi's January announcement of a planned investment of around US$2 billion into Indonesia's state-owned companies, aimed at developing sectors such as toll roads and solar energy. There are many opportunities for Indonesia to partner with Middle Eastern countries, [many of which] have a lot of money to invest Muhammad Zulfikar Rakhmat, political analyst These investments aligned with Indonesia's pattern of cooperation with the Middle East, which had largely revolved around trade and infrastructure development, said Muhammad Zulfikar Rakhmat from the Centre of Economic and Law Studies (Celios) think tank in Jakarta.
