Listening to Each Others’ Grievances to Rise Together
Being left in sheer shock from losing family members, the residents tried to heal themselves by seeking justice for what they believed: that the incident was an example of a gross human rights violation.
Dozens of residents gathered at RT 004/RW 008 Jatinegara Kaum, Pulogadung, East Jakarta, to pray together for the victims of the May 1998 riots, Friday (12/5/2023).
Murni's face (60) suddenly grew despondent as she remembered her son Agung Tri Kurniawan. He was among the hundreds of deaths caused when a fire gutted Yogya Plaza Klender in East Jakarta during the May 1998 riots. Twenty-five years on, Murni and fellow bereft mothers gathered on Friday night (12/5/2023) in prayers for the deceased.
Dozens of residents had begun to arrive since after isha (the second of Muslims’ five obligatory daily prayers) at a 2-meter wide alley of RT 004 RW 008 Jatinegara Kaum neighborhood in Pulogadung, East Jakarta. Being close to the ill-fated mall, the neighborhood lost many residents in the tragic incident.