Yayasan Pemberdayaan People Forest and Ripe Nusantara (YPPN) Pontianak carried out an assessment in 2011 at Teluk Bakung village and found that there were no less than 200 youths who had dropped out of school (OMPS), including at Loncek.
I couldn’t resist my curiosity and tapped Edi on the arm; he was busy watching the dancers at the karaoke stage.
“Those people gathering under the stage, what are they doing?”
“They are playing kolok-kolok, bang*.”
I frowned. Kolok- kolok is a gambling game played with three dices and six pictures on a canvas the size of a cardboard.
“Crab, fish, prawn, moon, vase, flower,” screamed the bandar (gambling bookie).
I felt uneasy sitting here. A few of the men were still staring at me piercingly. Just then, a waiter came along and offered beer, alcohol, peanuts and fried pork.
“Just beer,” I said. Maybe a sip of beer would wash away the chills I felt. From the warung, I could see on the stage four women wearing bikinis, in action and bending sideways as if in a trance like Trio Macan (popular dangdut singing group in Indonesia). There was also a singer whose body was shining due to her sweat, shimmering under the neon lights of the stage.
“O…o..o..o...iwak peyek,** iwak peyek iwak peyek nasi jagung. Sampe tuek, sampe nenek, Trio Macan tetap disanjung”. (excerpt of song: iwak peyek, iwak peyek iwak peyek corn rice. Until you’re old, a grandma, Trio Macan will still be celebrated).
***
