Twenty-two residents of Legoso, which lies in the Pisangan subdistrict of South Tangerang were buried in a mass grave on Sunday (11/2).
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Machradin Wahyudi Ritonga untuk Kompas
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Only a few steps from the roaring excavator digging a mass grave on Sunday afternoon, Henri, 34, and Heru, 35, closed their eyes – mournful, quiet, hopeless. Half of their breath was buried, too.
The two brothers are among many residents of Legoso that recently lost loved ones. Twenty-two residents of Legoso, which lies in the Pisangan subdistrict of South Tangerang, Banten, were buried in a mass grave on Sunday (11/2) afternoon. They were part of 27 fatalities in a bus accident that occurred in Tanjakan Emen, Ciater district, Subang regency, West Java, on Saturday (10/2) at around 5 p.m.
Most of the victims from Legoso are women that were active in the Family Welfare Training (PKK) program and members of the Permata saving and loan cooperative in Pisangan.
They had traveled to Ciater – some of them with family members – for a meeting of the Permata cooperative and for touring the area as well. Those mothers had enjoyed organizing activities in the Legoso neighborhood.
Henri and Heru, accompanied by three family members, were limping. Their hands gently poked the grave of their mother, Juminten. After reciting a prayer, they were reluctant to leave the grave. Their tears dried up, leaving behind blank stares. The death of their mother has robbed them of their spirit for life.
“I lived with my mom since I was little. Until now, after getting married and having a kid, I still lived with mom. My dad died when I was in elementary school,” said Henri. He was walking barefoot as he helped lower his mother’s body for the burial.
Juminten, who died at 62 years of age, was buried close to 13 others in the back part of the Legoso cemetery. Eight others were buried in the front part.
Juminten was more than a mother to Henri. Aside from being a single parent for her five children, Juminten provided refuge for Henri and Heru and their children and wives. “My mother took care of us children. We had to work all day,” Henri said. He worked as a driver for a ride-hailing app; his wife worked at a restaurant.
Heru was deeply mournful, too. Heru has been working as a cook in Makassar, South Sulawesi, for seven years. Once a year, he would visit his mother in Ciputat. He called his mother the last time on Friday (9/2), a day before the accident. Now, Heru has no chance to call his mother again. When Heru arrived in Jakarta at 11 a.m., Juminten’s body had been at the funeral house for around an hour.
Harun, 66, was also mournful, crying as he held tightly the photo of his wife Sopiah, who was killed in the accident at the age of 64. Once a while, Harun would faint, dropping the photo of his wife. When he awoke, he looked for the photo and sat there, hopeless.
“I could not take it. I could not see the burial of my wife,” he said, stepping away from the grave at the Legoso cemetery, the same grave as that of Juminten.
“I remember meeting Sopiah in early 1970 and getting married in 1975. Sopiah was living alone, and she did not know her parents. She had been adopted by a Chinese family in Tanah Abang,” said Harun, after returning to his house in RT 002 RW 001.
Harun and Sopiah had lived and been through hard times together for decades. Harun worked as a motorcycle taxi driver and cleaner, while Sopiah worked as a domestic helper. They had two daughters and five grandchildren.
“Now, just as our economic situation is improving, Sopiah has left us. There are some plans we never realized, such as going to the Setu Babakan water reservoir together,” he said.
Toriq was also in deep mourning. The husband of Aminah, 44, was sitting on the floor of his house in RT 007 RW 001. Family members gave him eucalyptus oil and a cup of tea, but he did not touch it. “Since Saturday evening, I have only been thinking about my wife, so much so that I forgot to eat,” he said.
Aside from losing Aminah, Toriq also lost his sister-in-law, Hasanah, 46. Sopiah and Hasanah were cousins.
Neighbors knew Aminah as an active mother. She was active in a Quran reciting activity, cooperatives, the PKK and sports, playing volleyball in Legoso. “The volleyball team of mbak Aam [Aminah’s nickname] often won competitions in Legoso,” said Candra, a family member.
Kompas/Rony Ariyanto Nugroho
A tour bus carrying a group of tourists from Ciputat, South Jakarta, was involved in an accident on the Emen Tanjakan trail in Ciater, Subang, West Java, on Saturday (10/2).
No more accident
Permata cooperative chairwoman Purwani Yuli Astuti, 62, said she was too mournful to remember Saturday’s tragedy. “We have lost friends and relatives. Our members were strong. I would never have thought they would leave us at the same time,” said Purwani, who was at the scene.
Purwani lost three siblings, namely Sri Widodo, 63, Martiningsih, 35 and Ari Lestari, 42, in the accident. Purwani herself was in another bus.
While crying, Purwani said Legoso residents had familial connections and lived close to each other. “This is our big loss. Not only [cooperative] members, but also relatives who would always support each other in social life,” she said.
Legoso residents know how it feels to lose half of one’s soul, half of one’s life. The bus accident, reportedly caused by brake failure, was not the first accident, but they prayed it would be the last. May all parties learn a lesson and stop recklessly violating rules, intentionally or unintentionally.
