Pilgrims Still Come To TPU Malacca Despite Being Banned By Anies Baswedan

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JAKARTA - A number of people continue to make pilgrimages to the Public Cemetery (TPU) Malacca 1, East Jakarta on the first day of Eid al-Fitr. In fact, the Governor of DKI Jakarta Anies Baswedan forbade his citizens to visit the grave during May 12-16.

Reported by Antara, a number of people who mostly bring families still hold pilgrimages at TPU Malaka 1.

One of the Other Service Providers of Individual People (PJLP) cemetery, Sai, said this TPU is also an alternative way for local residents who connect Pondok Kelapa-Malaka-Pondok Kopi so that TPU can not be closed completely.

"The instruction from the Head of TPU is actually closed, we have also put the TPU banner temporarily closed for pilgrimage," Sai said, Thursday, May 13.

He suspects most of the pilgrims who come are local residents who know even though there is a ban on pilgrimage TPU Malacca 1 is not closed completely because it becomes an alternative road and use it to make pilgrimages

Although the pilgrimage is closed, TPU Malaka 1 still serves funeral processions as on weekdays, no exception on Eid al-Fitr.

"If for the service of burying will not close. It's just that TPU Malaka 1 is full and does not serve the opening of new graves since 2016, so if there are families buried here the system overlaps," he added.

Another grave officer, Yadi, said thursday that TPU Malaka 1 serves two funeral processions, one of which is with a fixed procedure of COVID-19.

"Today there are (processions) buried, one of them (with protap) COVID-19," said Yadi.

Previously, the Governor of DKI Jakarta Anies Baswedan forbade his citizens to make grave pilgrimages during May 12-16 in anticipation of a possible crowd at the TPU.

"Grave pilgrimage activities were canceled from May 12 to Sunday, May 16," Anies said after a coordination meeting with Pangdam Jaya, The Head of Metro Jaya Police and a number of regional heads in jabodetabek area in Jakarta.

Not only in Jakarta, all cemeteries in the capital's buffer area will also be closed during this time period.