Struggling Silver-Haired Men in Indonesia Plea for Financial relief
Shining a Light on Street Beggars in Jakarta
In the heart of Indonesia's bustling Jakarta, a rainy day brings a unique spectacle: three men, coated in metallic paint, known as the "manusia silver" or silvermen, brace the elements on a busy intersection.
This striking scene is a desperate ploy to make ends meet, as the cost of living climbs and job opportunities dwindle post-Covid pandemic.
"I'm mortified to earn a living this way. I yearn for a proper, respectable job," says Ari Munandar, a 25-year-old silverman.
"But the humiliation fades away when you recall your loved ones at home."
Dressed only in shorts, the trio – Ari, his brother Keris, and friend Riyan Ahmad Fazriyansah – each take turns in the traffic. When cars come to a halt, they strike robotic poses to catch the drivers' attention.
"Good day, safe journey," Ari greets, holding out a bucket for donations. Their poses are symbolic, attracting cash with little meaning beyond that.
On a good day, they earn up to 200,000 rupiah ($12), but usually bring home around 120,000 – far from Jakarta's monthly minimum wage of five million rupiah and barely enough to cover daily expenses.
"I'll skip lunch and just smoke," says Ari, discouraged by the meager earnings. Inflation has been on the rise, driving up basic necessities such as a kilogram of rice, the archipelago’s staple food, by 27 percent between 2015 and 2025[1].
Even behind the vibrant paint, malnourishment is visible. The friends barely reach five feet eight inches and weigh no more than 55 kilograms.
A Blend of Grime and Glitter
Scarce employment opportunities are the prime cause driving young men and women to hit the streets[1].
"I've been begging since I lost my job in 2019," Ari shares, who earlier cleaned toilets for a living.
Government data shows the number of impoverished residents in metropolitan Jakarta surged from 362,000 in 2019 to 449,000 by September 2024[1].
"The pandemic of 2021 has contributed to a substantial increase in begging rates in Jakarta," says Bhima Yudistira, executive director of the Center of Economic and Law Studies[1].
After five hours on the road, the trio return home hitching a ride in a tuk-tuk. Exhausted, they count their minuscule earnings and share a cigarette. Upon being dropped off, they navigate the polluted streets, cross a railway line, and reach their Jakarta slum – a far cry from the city's towering skyscrapers.
The paint, reminiscent of fabric screen-printing ink, is difficult to remove and leaves his skin irritated[2]. Squatting by a well, Ari scrubs his body until the silver disappears, his one-year-old daughter Arisya watching.
"Initially, the paint burned, leaving a blister on my neck, but now it only stings my eyes," he explains, ready to return home to his family and forget the day's hardships.
"Yet, I hope she will never have to follow my path," he says with a smile, a poignant reminder of the personal dilemmas faced by so many in the city.
[1] https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/rice-price-indonesia[2] https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/painted-silver-young-indonesian-men-desperately-beg-survive-2022-2103-IDUSKCN2P00A5[3] https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/3/2/silvermen-indonesias-rainbow-beggars-hope-to-outshine-hardship
- In the struggle for livelihood amidst Jakarta's skyscrapers, some turned to street performances, like the silvermen, who combine fitness-and-exercise with health-and-wellness routines, painting their bodies with silver and striking poses to earn for food-and-drink and home-and-garden essentials.
- Amidst the vibrant lifestyle of Jakarta, numerous young individuals, such as the silvermen, seek to improve their circumstances, pinning their hopes on better jobs in science, health-and-wellness, fitness-and-exercise, or other fields that could provide a path out of poverty.
- As seen in the case of the silvermen, Jakarta's slums, although a stark contrast to the city's glittering skyline, are witnessed in the daily lives of many who strive for a decent lifestyle, where access to proper food-and-drink, home-and-garden improvements, and sound education in science fields remains a daunting challenge.
