Charity spectacle: Indonesian Raya tradition puts ‘begging mentality’ in the spotlight

JAKARTA – Thousands gathered in Indonesia’s East Java regency of Jember on Hari Raya Aidilfitri, drawn by word that popular dangdut singer Dewi Perssik would return home to hand out festive cash gifts and rice.

But the gesture soon drew scrutiny, not for the number of people she helped, but for the amount: 15,000 rupiah, about $1 – just enough for a simple meal at a roadside warung, or stall.

In the familiar festive ritual known as Tunjangan Hari Raya (THR, or Hari Raya bonus), those who can afford it give money or food to relatives, workers and, occasionally, the wider community.

Throngs arrived by motorcycle or foot for Ms Dewi’s THR, many waiting under the midday sun.

By her account, about 8,400 people received aid in cash and rice – roughly 8,000 in Jember and another 400 in Jakarta – in a distribution that totalled nearly 900 million rupiah.

But some found her handouts underwhelming, particularly given her celebrity status, prompting Ms Dewi, 40, to defend herself.

“I earn hundreds of millions because I work for it. So what, you expect me to be squeezed like this?” the visibly frustrated singer said in a social media video after the March 21 event.

“You see the 15,000 rupiah, but you do not see what they are carrying. The rice is premium,” she added.

The episode cast a spotlight on a new reality in Indonesia’s age of social media: While many make a show of giving during Hari Raya, the visibility cuts both ways.

Charity is no longer seen as a simple act of generosity, but is something that people watch, compare and judge in real time.

Giving on display

Even former president Joko Widodo was not spared in 2026. In his home town of Solo, Central Java, envelopes of cash and food staples were distributed, with some recipients receiving 100,000 rupiah and others 50,000 rupiah.

In a video that was widely circulated, a woman who had queued for assistance spoke in frustration: “I went through all that trouble, to the point of fainting, for just 50,000 rupiah.”

Dangdut singer Ayu Ting Ting, on the other hand, was praised for giving out between 50,000 and 100,000 rupiah to the public.

In some cases, private charity turned into a public spectacle. Influencer Fujianti Utami drew crowds so large that security was needed.

Some celebrities take a different approach, turning the tradition into something more personal and interactive.

Actress Yuki Kato and her family turned the ritual into a game of tarik benang, where participants pulled strings to determine whether they received cash, food, or nothing at all.

Elsewhere, social media clips show variations of the same idea – money tossed from an upper floor to family members below, envelopes styled to resemble exclusive black credit cards, and games in which those who failed to draw cash were asked to give instead.

Even outside festive periods, some celebrities post videos showcasing both their wealth – their large homes, designer clothes, luxury cars and holidays – and their generosity, filming themselves giving money or gifts to poorer communities.

During Hari Raya, that visibility increases as more people put their giving on show. At the same time, scrutiny grows.

From charity to entitlement

The social expectations around THR stem from its origins as a legally mandated bonus.

Employers are required to pay it to employees before Hari Raya. For many workers, this bonus covers travel, food and family obligations tied to the annual mudik, or homecoming.

Usually, the payout is equivalent to a month’s salary, but employers are sometimes more generous.

Television personality Raffi Ahmad, for instance, handed out bonuses, cash and expensive items such as motorbikes and gadgets.

But that idea of THR as a right does not always stay within the workplace.

During Hari Raya, the practice has widened beyond employers and employees. Wealthy individuals, including celebrities, often give to neighbours, fans or the wider public, as part of festive charity and a way of sharing blessings.

Over time, this has blurred the line between obligation and generosity, as some people come to expect seasonal giving as a given.

It is this shift that figures like Ms Dewi have pushed back against. Responding to criticism, she said: “If you want tens of millions (of rupiah), become my employee first.”

In Indonesia, the phrase mentalitas mengemis, or “begging mentality”, is sometimes used by critics to describe concerns that repeated handouts can, over time, shape expectations among some recipients.

Such concerns tend to surface most visibly during festive periods such as Hari Raya, when large-scale handouts draw crowds. Outside these occasions, however, there is limited evidence of widespread, everyday dependence on public charity, with most giving remaining seasonal.

Dr Musni Umar, an Indonesian sociologist and adjunct professor at Malaysia’s Asia e University, said the pattern has been visible for years, particularly during festive periods.

During Hari Raya, long queues form outside the homes of celebrities, wealthy individuals and public figures who organise festive giving.

“In my view, the phenomenon of a ‘parade of begging’ at the homes of artists, wealthy people and former president Jokowi is very shameful, but they put social generosity on display,” Dr Musni told The Straits Times.

He argues that a mix of factors, including lower education, shallow religious understanding and the normalisation of asking for handouts, can influence how such practices are perceived.

Dr Musni also pointed to what he sees as a broader culture of soliciting funds by some in the middle class. This includes formal fund-raising requests – such as proposals that community or religious groups send to businesses and officials – which he described as a more socially accepted way of seeking donations.

But in Indonesia, where the official poverty line is about 609,160 rupiah per person a month, and more than 23 million out of a population of 280 million live below it, many attend such events out of need, reflecting broader economic pressures.

Root cause

Jakarta has banned begging and the giving of money to beggars in certain public spaces since 2007, but this is rarely enforced during festive periods, when large-scale distributions and direct appeals for cash or alms for daily needs become more visible.

Indonesia’s top Islamic body, the Indonesian Ulema Council, has warned of a rise in seasonal begging ahead of Hari Raya, including cases involving children.

Dr Siti Ma’rifah, who heads the council’s division for women, youth and family, said in a statement on March 12 that the issue requires both enforcement and prevention.

“Besides taking steps to control the situation, there must also be preventive measures,” she said. “We need to shape how people think from an early age, so that they grow up to be the hand above (the giver), not the hand below (the recipient).”

She noted that poverty remains central and warned of exploitation, adding: “If the root cause is not resolved, this will continue to happen. These children are often not acting on their own will – they are being used, and the response requires coordination across sectors.”

Among those pushing back against those who criticised Ms Dewi’s THR-giving were netizens who noted that help, no matter how small, remains meaningful to those in need.

“For those who have money, it may mean nothing. But for people who truly have nothing, even that amount helps,” wrote a YouTube user named Ilham, recalling how, after a flood in 1994, a small sum felt like “receiving diamonds”.

Meanwhile, Ms Dewi rejected the criticisms, saying: “Even if I did not give anything, it is not my obligation to give to neighbours in Jember… Whatever I do gets criticised. If I give, it is wrong. If I do not, I still get gossiped about.”