From Media Indonesia:
Unable to Pay Electricity Bill, Grandmother Hangs Herself
Tukinah, 70, a grandmother from Widoro Village, District Gandusari, Trenggalek, East Java Province, was desperate enough to end her own life by hanging herself.
Presumably, this incident happened because she could not afford to pay her electricity bill of 50 thousand Rupiah [US$5]. “Grandma Tukinah had complained several times to her neighbors that she did not have any money to pay for her electricity bill and was afraid that the electricity company will eventually disconnect the electricity at her home. Also, in the last few days, she seemed somewhat not her usual self,” said the village leader named Mohammad Omar.
However, Umar said that Tunikah was still doing her usual day-to-day activities prior to committing suicide. In fact, she still joined the elderly activities at the local village office last Saturday. He explained that the victim lived alone in the house and was first found by one of his grandchildren, Banjar, at around 16:30 pm.
“When found, the victim was already hanging on the bedroom door by stagen [a cloth usually wrapped around the abdomen]. Seeing this, Banjar and other residents immediately tried to save her by cutting the noose,” he said. Police and medical teams conducted an investigation of the scene and autopsied the victim to verify that the victim had indeed died due to suicide.
Head of the Public Relations for the Police Commissioner Siti Munawaroh explained that because no sign of violence was found, the police handed over the victim’s body to her family so they can proceed with funeral arrangements.
Comments from Kaskus:
ngobrol sambil ngopi:
This is happening while the rich in the big cities are lining up for the iPhone 5?
vboten:
So tragic!… I think the grandmother must’ve had a high sense of pride. Although not necessarily accompanied with patience and good faith.
Ajyto:
The grandmother is already 70 years old so she is probably just tired of living.
The fan:
Ouch grandma, you have 2 sins now, the sin of committing suicide and of not paying your debts. Hope you’re forgiven by the Creator!
ramadhaNoor:
All the corrupt should also be hanged, boss!!!
leesunkyu:
Where is her family? Her kids? Grandkids? Those people she took care of until they became adults? How could they just leave their parent to live and die alone?
hambaaaallah:
Some Indonesians are easily discouraged…Because it’s really tough to live in Indonesia!
kuyuds:
The government has planned to increase basic electricity costs next year…making it harder for regular people to make ends meet…
frankytiju:
Wow… the world has gone crazy.
Sooner or later, there’ll be another incident such as “grandma kills herself since she can’t cook rice!”
rastasep:
GOSH, living in Indonesia is full of struggles and challenges. Come to Indonesia to experience it!
Bedjovanderlack:
In this country, the rich get richer and the poor get poorer…
Toofreetoyou:
Poverty is definitely everywhere so it depends on each individual whether they want to share the wealth or not!
Gun138:
It’s definitely not the Indonesian government’s fault as it is the citizens’ obligation to pay taxes. But it’s surely the government’s fault for not taking care of the elderly. The Indonesian government policy is not comparable to developed countries where social welfare are provided for their senior citizens.
Amathend2304:
There must be some other causes too… I don’t think this incident is directly caused by only the electricity bill issue…
Yakhont:
So lebay… if you don’t pay the electricity bill then it should be okay since sooner or later, your electricity will be disconnected anyway… Having electricity is a choice so if you can afford it then you can have it, otherwise then you don’t need to have it!
What do you think? Is this the government’s fault for not taking care of senior citizens? Or are living conditions just too tough in Indonesia?
