Wonder Woman from Pura Bali

Wonder Woman from Pura Bali

By RAHMAT ALWI

            Asni Fatimah, who has lived in Pura Bali precise near State University of Jakarta, Rawamangun, for 25 years and still life there until now. She works as a fried-food seller before she becomes a picker.

Mrs. Asni lives with her one granddaughter in a small house in Pura Bali, Rawamangun. She work as a picker for almost two years, wake up early in the morning and back to home before Maghreb at 6 o’clock.

“I live here for 25 years, I know all about this place. Living like this is very hard. This house is loan, every day I always get small income, even for eat; every Monday and Thursday I always doing fast to save my money.”

At her age, 66, Mrs. Asni is still works to make her granddaughter happy and make their life still going on.  She spent almost of her age in Pura Bali, a small place where marginal people lived. Most of people in Pura Bali work as a picker, unemployer, and cadger. In 2014, the government tried to condemn her house, but she tried to stay because she doesn’t know where to live. “I really want to move from here, from this place, but I don’t have money, I’m just an old woman who tries to thankful for what I have right now.”

She has two boys and one daughter, and all of them already married and made their own life with their own family. And Dewi, her granddaughter, stay with Mrs. Asni because her third son die because an accident, so her daughter-in-law gave Dewi to her.

Work as a picker is really hard. The writer almost cry when Mrs. Asni tell how hard her day life. Early morning she woke up to find some rubbish around State University of Jakarta (UNJ), walk far from Rawamangun to Manggarai sometimes she barefoot then she collects those things and brings to the collector to trade with some money. 1 kilogram (kg) can only price with 5.000,00 Rp. We can imagine how much she need bring to the collector for everyday needs.

“I try to work hard. I don’t want to be a cadger or even burglar. As long as this body can walk, can breath and we still have faith to the God, just belive Allah swt is with us.”