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Congress crowd brings blessings to Makassar
The 47th muktamar (national congress) of Indonesian Islamic organization Muhammadiyah has had a positive economic impact on its host city, Makassar, in South Sulawesi
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he 47th muktamar (national congress) of Indonesian Islamic organization Muhammadiyah has had a positive economic impact on its host city, Makassar, in South Sulawesi.
With Muhammadiyah being one of Indonesia's largest religious groups, the muktamar attracts around 300,000 of its supporters in addition to the 7,000 congress participants attending the core event.
'More than 300,000 supporters and 7,000 participants gathered in this place,' said head of public relations and documentation for the muktamar Husni Yunus, as quoted by Antara news agency, referring to the crowd that gathered at the opening ceremony in Karebosi fields on Monday.
The crowd, according to Husni, arrived from regions all over the country to show their support for the quinquennial event.
'I received reports that almost no vacancies remain in the hotels. That means 300,000 rooms have been booked for the event,' said South Sulawesi governor, Syahrul Yasin Limpo, during his speech at the opening ceremony.
Motorbike taxis (ojek) and motorized pedicabs (bentor) are amongst those that benefit economically from the muktamar. Many of the event's attendants have never been to the city, thus require the services of these ojek and bentor to show them around the place.
'Many of my customers admitted it's their first time in Makassar. They asked me which are the nice places to go,' said Sangkala, an ojek driver in Makassar.
Sangkala explained that, unlike the locals, the visitors did not haggle as much. He could charge them with fees higher than the usual tariffs. For Rp 50,000 (US$3.70) he would take them to nearby places like the Panakukkang shopping mall, while Rp 100,000 would get them a trip around the city or to the region's iconic Losari Beach.
These prices are twice the usual prices charged to the locals on normal days. This way, Sangkala and his fellow ojek drivers are bringing home around 300,000 to 400,000 rupiah everyday during the muktamar ' twice the sum they normally get. (rad/kes)(+++)
