Idul Fitri, a moment to reap easy money

As Idul Fitri draws near, Muslims are busy with anykind of preparations to celebrate the occasion. The ending of fasting month is a time where we all let out any hardship in our life. We incline to spend more money during Idul Fitri. And we tend to be more charitable.

People pack shopping malls to buy new clothes to be worn at Idul Fitri. Not only in big cities but it also occurs in other smaller cities. Transportation services reap Idul Fitri windfall as millions of people are returning to their home villages. And also scalpers, who capitalize the weaknesses in ticketing administration system are among several parties who enjoy bulk of money. The poor, street beggars will find they are richer than usual.

It has also become common that people greet each other on Idul Fitri day. They call or text their families, friends, or colleagues. This condition has been used by cellular operators to offer their Idul Fitri-tailored services. No wonder during Idul Fitri holidays, voice and SMS traffics are increasing to the extent that some operators can’t handle. Yet, this seasonal cycle is a cash machine for the operators.

All in all, everybody wins. But, that’s not the case, maybe, for two institutions in this country. Ministry of trade has to work harder to ensure that the supplies of foodstuffs are sufficient enough to meet the rising demand. Likewise, Bank Indonesia has to balance between the need for more supply of money and its objective to curb inflation.