Indonesian mother who fell off motorbike sits in muddy pothole-filled roads to protest official inaction
How dirty would you get for a good cause? An Indonesian woman has gone to extreme lengths to protest the poor state of roads in her province in southern Sumatra.
Ummu Hani, 35, took to social media in early May to share photos of herself sitting or lying down in mud-filled potholes on the roads in Merbau Mataram, a subdistrict of South Lampung in Sumatra.
Dressed in a black headscarf and dress – and covered head to toe in mud – Ummu is seen smiling as she holds signs calling out the “derelict” conditions of roads in the area.
Another sign reads: “Negative impacts on education, health and economy.”
She wrote in her post: “For the longest time we asked relevant parties to carry out works to improve the road infrastructure. Because this road is one of the main access [roads] that links the village to the subdistrict.”
In her photos, Ummu also shows various roads filled with potholes, some stretching across the entire road.
According to a report by local news website Tribun Lampung on May 8, Ummu started campaigning for better infrastructure in her district ever since she fell while riding on a motorbike with one of her children.
The mother-of-four said that she hoped that her post would provide constructive feedback and improve residents’ quality of life.
Ummu said that she wanted to use social media to bring about a positive change.
The housewife and content creator noted that the roads in the district had not been repaired for a long time and this affected residents’ livelihoods, safety and access to education.
She added that it was her intention to use humour to raise awareness of the issue. “If we have violent aspirations, the impact will not be good,” she added in Bahasa Indonesia.
Ummu’s May 3 post quickly went viral and resonated with many Indonesians, many of whom came forward to share their own experiences with poor road conditions.
Facebook user “Dapit Saputra” highlighted that daily activities such as going to the market are hindered by the poor road conditions.
Another user, “Winda Ariyanti”, wrote: “Pity schoolchildren and sick people, pregnant mothers and citizens who always use this access road.”
Several netizens also pointed out how road conditions were especially bad after it rained, making them dangerous to travel on.
Ummu has, however, also drawn some flak for her efforts, especially as she tagged local government officials in her post.
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Some observers argue that she did so for attention.
Ummu defended her actions, saying she had been shocked by some of the reactions, which she said were inconsistent with the facts.
She added that the criticism did not bother her as she had good intentions behind her post, adding that repairing the roads would benefit the entire province and have a “big influence” on improving the lives of residents.
All she wanted was for Lampung to become popular for its diverse environment and culture rather than its flaws as an undeveloped province, she said.
In an article by news website Lampung Viva on Monday, the Public Works and Spatial Planning Department of South Lampung regency acknowledged the poor road conditions in Merbau Mataram, but said that there are no plans for road repairs in the district as it is not accounted for in their budget this year.
This story was first published by Today Online
