PUBLIC CEMETERY ARRANGEMENTS AND ITS IMPLICATIONS FOR THE COMMUNITY IN AMBON CITY

PUBLIC FUNERAL ARRANGEMENTS AND

IMPLICATIONS FOR THE COMMUNITY IN AMBON CITY[1]

 

Richard M. Waas

Background

Population growth and development in Ambon City are increasing every year. This development is characterized by the presence of shopping centers, housing, and offices. The main goal of development is none other than to meet the needs of urban communities, especially in Ambon City, which is rich in economic value and relatively high incomes. Unfortunately, meeting the needs of the current Ambon community is not accompanied by future needs. This is evident in the continued increase in population in Ambon City which is not balanced by the availability of land which is a major obstacle, one of which is the provision of burial land for the people of Ambon City.

Regarding the issue of burial land in Ambon City, the land for public cemeteries in Ambon City has been displaced by the construction of various large-scale projects. Land in Ambon City is running out, while plans to expand the cemetery area are constantly hampered by land acquisition issues. To address this, the current system is a "overlay" system, where two or more bodies, generally related by family, share a single grave, or by taking over an abandoned grave.

It is estimated that there are currently approximately 3 TPU locations for public cemeteries in Ambon City, including TPU Benteng and TPU Kebun Cengkeh for Christian residents and TPU Mangga Dua for Muslim residents. In addition, there are also TPUs in each village or village in the Ambon City area, which are managed by the village or village government. As stated in Article 5 Paragraph (2) of the Republic of Indonesia Government Regulation Number 9 of 1987 concerning the Provision of Land Use for Cemetery Purposes, that"Management of Public Cemeteries in Villages is carried out by the Village Government based on the relevant Level II Regional Regulations".However, not all villages or countries have public cemeteries, burial locations are usually carried out in the yard of the house so that it looks unorganized and has an impact on environmental pollution, emphasized by the Ambon City Government (Pemkot) which prohibits its residents from burying bodies in the yard or yard of their house. "This prohibition has been socialized to the community through the Village Head and Village Head, which was conveyed by the Head of the Ambon City Cleanliness and Parks Department, John Leatomu in Ambon. (Ambon, January 25, 2010, Daily News Magazine Gatra.com.). But this problem needs to be strengthened with clear regulations because until now there are still no Regional Regulations regarding the Arrangement and Management of TPU.

If we look at the current reality, the area of ​​land for public cemeteries is not balanced with the estimated average number of people who die in Ambon City, which reaches 10 people per day. If the land provided by the government is no longer able to accommodate, the question that will arise is where will the resting place for the deceased be. With this existing problem, various alternatives are needed to overcome the problem of public cemetery land that is able to meet the needs of the population for Public Cemeteries (TPU), where we will discuss the arrangement of public cemeteries and the implications for the people of Ambon City.

Based on the description as stated above, the problem here is how to regulate public cemeteries and their implications for the community in Ambon City.

 

Discussion

            Article 1 letter (a) of Government Regulation Number 9 of 1987 concerning the Provision and Use of Land for Cemetery Purposes, explains that what is meant by “Public Cemetery”is an area of ​​land provided for the burial of bodies for everyone without distinction of religion or class, the management of which is carried out by the Level II Regional Government or Village Government.

            Article 2 paragraph (1) of the Republic of Indonesia Government Regulation Number 9 of 1987 concerning the Provision of Land Use for Cemetery Purposes states that "The designation and determination of land locations for the purposes of Public Cemeteries is carried out by the Regional Head for each Level II Region under the coordination of the Governor, and for the Special Capital Region of Jakarta by the Governor, Head of the Special Capital Region of Jakarta.

            Responsibility in designating and determining the location of land for the purposes of Public Cemetery is carried out by the Head of Level II Region. This means that the Ambon City Government is a stakeholder for this matter. This has been proven by the follow-up from the Ambon City Government through the statement of the Deputy Mayor of Ambon, MAS Latuconsina, ST, MT. He admitted that currently the Ambon City Government (Pemkot) is planning to acquire 10 hectares of land in Hative Besar Village, Teluk Ambon District which will be used as the location of the Christian Public Cemetery (TPU). (Ambon City Government website. Thursday, January 26, 2012).

This action was taken because it was seen that the condition of TPU Benteng and Kebun Cengkeh was no longer suitable to be used as a burial place for the dead, considering that the land was getting narrower. From the results of the socialization, there was a little disagreement from the community regarding the plan, they were afraid that their agricultural land would be damaged. That was part of the community input that we could measure the negative impact of in this plan," said the Deputy Mayor. As stated in Article 2 Paragraph (3) of Government Regulation Number 9 of 1987 concerning the Provision and Use of Land for Burial Purposes, that "In making appointments and determinations as referred to in paragraph (1) and paragraph (2) must be based on the Regional Development Plan, and/or City Planning Plan, with the following provisions:

a. not located in a densely populated area;

b. avoid using fertile soil;

c. paying attention to environmental harmony and balance;

d. prevent damage to land and the environment;

e. prevent excessive use of land.

            In principle, government policies should not inconvenience the public or create new problems. Government development interventions must be carried out carefully and the results should be well-received by all citizens, taking the aforementioned factors into account.

In addition, Ambon Mayor Richard Louhenapessy promised to review and review the Regional Regulation (Perda) on Mourning and Cremation of Bodies. This is because one of the points in the Perda has been questioned by the public, especially regarding the cost of decorating graves. This was conveyed by Louhenapessy when confirmed by RADAR AMBON, after attending the Grand Reunion of the Angkasa Pattimura Junior High/Senior High School Alumni Association, September 14. He himself only recently realized that this issue was being sanctioned by the public, to the point of becoming a problem for residents. "I just found out. I will see and study it first," promised Louhenapessy. However, the former Chairman of the Maluku DPRD stated that his party is currently trying to organize and repair all Public Cemetery (TPU) locations in Ambon City.

The reason is, all TPUs in Ambon City still look messy and have not been arranged neatly. He said, in accordance with the new leadership concept, organizing the City and building the Country is being done slowly. One of the principal things that the Ambon City Government must do is also the arrangement of TPUs in Ambon City. "TPUs still look messy. Many graves have entered the residential area of ​​residents. Some have even entered the road. Well, for that reason, the Ambon City Government is currently preparing a TPU arrangement program. We will do this," he explained.

Louhenapessy further said that if the issue of decorating graves is included in the Regional Regulation and has not been ratified, then improvements will be made. "I'll see first. If it is a problem, then we will review it again." Previously, information gathered by RADAR AMBON stated that the Ambon City Government through the Department of Cleanliness and Parks (DKP) has required the public to pay taxes to the government through cemeteries located in areas (land) owned by the City Government. Based on Ambon City Regulation Number 20 of 2003 which was revised to Regulation Number 8 of 2009 concerning Funeral and Cremation Fees, the public is required to pay for land owned by the Regional Government, if someone wants to bury the remains of a family member. This has been fulfilled by the community. However, recently a point emerged in Regional Regulation Number 8 of 2009 which requires residents to pay tax when they want to repair family graves. So the conclusion is that grave repairs must be subject to tax rates. Meanwhile, other information also states that in the Regional Regulation, one point has been added and there has been no discussion in the Ambon City DPRD as the institution tasked with formulating the contents of the Regional Regulation proposed by the Ambon City Government. (Radar Ambon September 15, 2012).

In addition, the Ambon City Government (Pemkot) is urged to immediately address the complaints of the people in Baguala District, where until now there has been no land provided for a Public Cemetery (TPU) for residents in the District. "As a representative of the people from the Baguala Electoral District, I urge the City Government to immediately look into this problem and hopefully this problem will be made a priority scale, because this is an urgent need," explained a member of the Ambon City DPRD, Baguala Electoral District, Teluk Ambon, Ibrahim Seknum to reporters at Baileo Rakyat Belakang Soya. According to him, this concern is not only from the community, but he as a resident of Waiheru Village who lives in the village also feels uneasy because there is no Muslim or Christian TPU in this district. Therefore, this public complaint will continue to be fought for. (Siwalima, Tuesday, October 5, 2010)

            The TPU arrangement in Ambon City which is still chaotic as conveyed by the Mayor of Ambon, indicates that the TPU arrangement issue needs to receive serious attention from the City Government. In the author's opinion, the Public Cemetery issue must be made in a Regional Regulation which not only regulates the levies and cremation of corpses, but also regulates the arrangement and management of TPU, so that it can answer various problems in the community. Related to Regional Regulation Number 20 of 2003 which was revised to Regional Regulation Number 8 of 2009, which will later be improved again as said by the Mayor of Ambon, it should be revised thoroughly, because in the author's opinion the Ambon City Government only wants to get levies without thinking about how to organize and manage TPU well.

            As a comparison, several City/Regency Areas have made Regional Regulations specifically regarding Public Cemeteries, such as Semarang Regency Regional Regulation Number 15 of 2006 concerning Public Cemeteries, which also regulates levies, cremation of corpses to the arrangement and procedures for burial. while Cimahi City Regional Regulation Number 14 of 2003 concerning the Provision of Land for Public Cemeteries by Housing Development Companies. Even in the Cimahi Region, a Regional Regulation was made for Housing Development Companies (Developers) to provide special land for TPU for residents who live in residential areas built by the Company. This indicates that there is serious attention from the City/Regency government in organizing and managing TPU well. In addition, the Regional Regulation of the Special Capital Region of Jakarta Province Number 3 of 2007 concerning Cemeteries, which also regulates the arrangement and management of TPU. Specifically in the Capital Region of Jakarta, TPU management is determined by a Governor's Decree. As regulated in Article 8 paragraph (1) of Government Regulation Number 9 of 1987 concerning the Provision and Use of Land for Cemetery Purposes, it states that "Management of Public Cemeteries and Non-Public Cemeteries is determined by Decree of the Head of the relevant Level II Region, and for the Special Capital Region of Jakarta by Decree of the Governor of the Head of the Capital Region of Jakarta.

In the arrangement and management of Public Cemeteries, it is necessary to refer to the City Spatial Planning, so that it can be arranged well, as stated in Article 2 Paragraph (3) of Government Regulation Number 9 of 1987 concerning the Provision and Use of Land for Cemetery Purposes. According to Spiro Kostof (1991), a city is a fusion of buildings and residents, while the form of a city is initially neutral but then changes until it is influenced by a particular culture. There are two types of city forms, namely geometric and organic. There is a dichotomy of urban forms based on the geometric form of the city, namely Planned and Unplanned.

1. Planned form: with a city layout that is always regular and geometric design.

2. Unplanned form: where a segment of the city develops spontaneously with various interests that complement each other, so that in the end the city will have any shape it wants which is then called an organic pattern, the form of the organic city is spontaneous, unplanned and has an irregular and non-geometric pattern.

According to Gallion in the book ¨The Urban Pattern¨, it is stated that changes in an area and part of a city are influenced by the geographical location of a city. This greatly influences changes due to regional growth in the city. In the process of change that causes distortion (given the scale of change is quite large) in the environment, including changes in land use organically, there are several things that can be observed, namely:

1. Growth occurs one by one, little by little or continuously.

2. The growth that occurs cannot be predicted and it cannot be known when it starts and when it will end, this depends on the forces behind it.

3. The land use change process that occurs is not a segmental process that occurs step by step, but is a comprehensive and continuous process.

4. The changes that occur are closely related to the emotions (value systems) that exist in the supporting population.

5. Other factors causing change are vision (impression), optimal area, maximum arrangement of the area with supporting functions, use of appropriate structures in buildings and site composition in the area. (Cristopher Alexander, A New Theory of Urban Design, 1987, 14:32).

The increasing population growth will certainly have an impact on the need for land as a place to live will also increase, the changes that occur will certainly affect the availability of land for public cemeteries. Thus the Ambon City government must take anticipatory steps in organizing urban areas well. Cemeteries located within a city are important assets that can increase the quality of the city. Cemeteries are green open spaces that provide many benefits, especially for the environment around the cemetery. If we look at the condition of cemeteries in the area of ​​Ambon City, we will see that most of the cemeteries lack aesthetic value. In fact, cemeteries in urban areas have a special function as a green area and water absorption that can help reduce problems such as air pollution emitted from dense motorized vehicles on the highway and the danger of flooding. But the function of the cemetery has not been seen and can be realized as part of the life of urban areas such as in Ambon City.

The eerie and haunted feeling we often experience when we are in a cemetery makes cemeteries rarely visited. This further makes people afraid of facing their death because they see the condition of the cemetery as a final resting place far from order and beauty, so that people who die and are buried in the cemetery will feel easily forgotten. In recent years, several commercial cemeteries have emerged, managed by private parties. They present the concept of a beautiful cemetery, arranged with good care. The phenomenon of new cemeteries that have a vision to change the initial view of cemeteries to become more pleasant places to visit and ease when wanting to own them and their management, such as the San Diego Hills and Al-Azhar cemeteries, which are expected to arouse the public's desire to have a cemetery like the one depicted in the new cemetery.

Their beautiful concept by prioritizing trees and several plants as landscape areas, can be a green area for the surrounding environment. The concept of TPU San Diego Hills and Al Azhar Memorial Park, their location in the Karawang industrial area can be the lungs for the area around the industry and the cemetery area can also be a catchment area. In terms of price, this concept does offer a fairly expensive price but also frees enthusiasts from monthly fees for maintenance, unlike the cemeteries in Ambon City. One of the concepts of the cemetery as an investment, if seen from the positive side of changing people's views on a cemetery. So the phenomenon of the emergence of new cemeteries such as San Diego Hills and Al Azhar Memorial Park, has become a necessity for the community, the question is whether the Ambon City Government is capable or not in realizing the policies that will be made related to the arrangement and management of Public Cemeteries in Ambon City.

           

Closing Event

If public cemeteries are well-organized and managed, they will have a positive impact on fulfilling the community's need for burial places. However, if these cemeteries are not well-organized and managed, they will have a negative impact on the community, such as environmental pollution.

Public Cemeteries (TPU) are a public need that must be met by the Government, especially in Ambon City. The condition of TPU in Ambon City has reached its peak, seen from the land for burials that can no longer accommodate bodies for burial. For this reason, the provision of land that is currently being processed by the Ambon City Government can be realized immediately, as well as the arrangement and management of existing and future TPU can be carried out properly. So that the community's needs can be met and no longer cause problems in the community.

The Ambon City Government must create a Regional Regulation on the Arrangement and Management of Public Cemeteries, so that this can be a reference in arranging and managing public cemeteries in Ambon City. This will answer the needs of the community.

 

Reading List

 

1. Christopher Alexander, A New Theory of Urban Design, Oxford University Press, 1987.

2. Spiro Kostof, In the Journal of Lectures on A Survey of History and Urbanism, 1991.

3. Daily News Magazine, Gatra.com

4. Ambon City Government website. www.ambon.go.id.

5. Letters to the Editor Radar Ambon. 

6. Siwalima Reader's Letter.

7. Regional Regulation Number 20 of 2003 which was revised to Regional Regulation Number 8 of 2009

8. Government Regulation Number 9 of 1987 concerning the Provision and Use of Land for Cemetery Purposes,

9. Semarang Regency Regional Regulation Number 15 of 2006 concerning Public Cemeteries,

10. Cimahi City Regional Regulation Number 14 of 2003 Concerning the Provision of Land for Public Cemeteries by Housing Development Companies

11. Regional Regulation of the Special Capital Region of Jakarta Province Number 3 of 2007 concerning Cemeteries, which also regulates the arrangement and management of TPU