Age of More Than a Century

About twenty-two resident of Tasikmalaya Regency, in West Java Province, confessed that their ages were more than a hundred years old. It was a result of Resident Census of year 2010 recorded by local Central Bureau for Statistic.

From these twenty-two people of age more than a century, Central Bureau for Statistic has verified four people. Two people came from Cikatomas District; one came from Rajapolah; and another one came from Padakembang District, all in Tasikmalaya Regency.

Verification people of age more than a hundred years old was directly done by Chief of Central Bureau for Statistic, West Java, Luqman Ismail who was assisted by main instructor of census, Endang Suteja; head bureau for statistic in Tasikmalaya Regency, Rasman Subagyo; and also their staffs, at May 12^th 2010.

Verification had done to Mrs. Karliah of 119 years old at Cikatomas, Cogreg; Mrs. Minah of 120 years old both at Cipondok, Cogreg; Mrs. Miah of more than a hundred years old (her daughter was already 85 years old) at Wandasari, Bojonggambir; and Mr. Marsudin of 135 years old at Gunungputri Village, Cilampung Hilir, Padakembang District.

Report about people of more than a hundred years old appeared after some census officers on duty confused to fill a form. There were only two empty columns for writing down a number of age; while the age of these people were more than two columns because their ages were more than a hundred. There were no three columns!

Head of Central Bureau for Statistic, Rasman Subagjo, told after census officer on duty reported, that they directly reported it to Central Bureau for Statistic of West Java.

“Head of Central Bureau for Statistic of west Java directly asked us to verify all those people of more than a hundred years old,” he said.

Head officer at Central Bureau for statistic, Luqman Ismail, said, “We are interested to verify deeply about people of more than a hundred years old as a rare achievement, in West Java, from the result of census, there were quite many people of more than a hundred years old,” he said. They were spread in Tasikmalaya, Garut, Banjar, Kuningan and Sukabumi Regencies.

Deden Darmin from Department of Social Statistic in Central Bureau for Statistic in Tasikmalaya, explained that there were twenty-two residents of more than a hundred years old until the last of May 2010,” said Deden. “Later on Central Bureau for Statistic of West Java will verify them all.”

Lukman Ismail, Head of Central Bureau for Statistic, explained that most residents of more than a hundred years old, however, lack of authentically date, and so Central Bureau for Statistic in West Java tried to collect their date accurately. One of the methods is through the similarity of their birth with an importance event in Indonesia.

“There was a link between their childhoods with the marriage of Queen Wilhelmina, and the Dutch Princess was married in 1901,” he said.

Ismail said, “Resident whose age more than a hundred years old, will be verified once again, and they will be chose to select which one was the oldest; then the oldest people would be invited to attend the Presidential Palace in Jakarta,” Ismail explained.

“There will be a national level choice for the oldest national citizen. They would get some special certificate from president; they also would be promoted to the Guinness Book of Records as the oldest people. We hope that the winner comes from West Java, Indonesia,” he said.

A social figure of Tasikmalaya, Djadja Wiranatakusumah asked the government official to give any social welfare to the oldest people. “They are similar to the ancient treasure we should proud,” said Djadja.

“They are very rare, and the government official should give them appreciation (and welfare) as well,” Djadja said. “It is a pride that we have the oldest people. It’s not easy to get such a century old, especially in a large number.”

There were some interesting experiences of the oldest people we can learn from, and they also had a unique activity which is good for us to imitate; Mr. Marsudin of 139 years old, for instance, a resident at Gunungputri, Cilampunghilir, Padakembang, who was born on June the first 1871, had a unique routinely.

Since he was young, he liked to bathe in a water box at midnight before anybody else using it at dawn praying; he does midnight bathing until now; and it makes him long live and always makes him fresh. Instead of bating in the middle of the night, Mr. Marsudin also pray five times a day; night praying; and read the Holly Qur’an. And now he has 6 children; 35 grand children; more than 80 great grand children; and from them Mr. Marsudin has 12 children as the fourth generation. Amazing!

Mrs. Minah of 120 years old, a resident at Cipondok, Cogreg, Cikatomas district, reads the Holly Qur’an everyday. In case of no reading the holly book, she feels if she has a big debt to pey the next day.

She always finished reading Qur’an every month. She always gets up at midnight and takes mid night praying.

About food, nothing she refused, except the way to cook it. Mrs. Minah never cooks food with or in cooking oil such as coconut oil or margarine. She always cooks food in steam; however she likes sweet food too.

They way to cook food in steam and to eat in vegetarian principle, become another special factor of long live. Generally, age of people is 70s years old. Even, Muhammad the Prophet, died in 63 years old.

An expert staff in a Health Department, Tasikmalaya Regency, dr Oky Zulkifly said that in health point of view, those old people whose age more than a century, has a good way of life. They enjoy walking on bare foot on the long distance; they almost never take any vehicle. They sports on jog every day and they eat good fresh naturally food.

They also keep their traditional teaching and their ancient philosophy foundation. They never drink chemistry water such as sweet tea, black coffee, and of course avoid alcohol and cigarette; they also never eat instant food (such as sardines or corned), sour taste food or vinegar. They prefer to eat steamed cassava leaves and boiled green vegetable they grow around. They still keep their teaching and until now they still have a strong and completely teeth. Their way of life are quiet, always fun and relax.

In the other side, their air circumstance is always kept naturally in fresh. They, whose age has more than a century, mostly live in a hill or mountain area, rich of clean air and water.

Another great example was Mrs. Miah, a resident of Pasirangin Village, Wandasari, Bojonggambir District, in Tasikmalaya Regency, recently became a famous name. It was because a census official noted that her age was more than a hundred years old.

“Her age has not yet exactly known, but her age is more than a hundred years old, just because her daughter, who remembered and noted on his ID card, is already 85 years old,” said Agus Salim. This District Official of Bojonggambir had searched an exact age of Mrs. Miah. “If her age has reached 135 years old, I would like to propose her to the Indonesian Record Museum (Muri). We are collecting about her accurate data,” Agus Salim said.

Agus Salim explained that when a Dutch Queen of Wilhelmina ruled, the age of Mrs. Miah was about 15 years. When Japanese terrorized facism in Indonesia, Mrs. Miah was more than 60 years old. “Mrs. Miah had experienced the Dutch Colonial era; Japanese conceited occupation time, Indonesia under Soekarno the first president, under Soeharto, and Indonesia in reform era,” he said.

Although Mrs. Miah was the oldest age at this time but her eyes and ears are still sharp and clear. She still can cook every day; she can carry a bail of water for 30 meter away; she can go to her field for 3 km length to pick some tea leaves; and to bear a bunch of fire wood. It was her daily routine with her daughter Mrs. Oyoh whose age was 85 years old.

Actually, there wasn’t any authentic data to prove her age that she was more than a hundred years old, except from her confession as when she was a girl she didn’t know any dress made of cotton like her daughter wears. To cover her body, she used leaves and bark.

Mrs. Miah can’t read and write. She also learned and practiced praying after feeling safe and having neighbor.

Mrs. Miah also experienced of wearing cloth of inner tire in cursed Japanese occupation, and she felt already old at that time.

Her life was a unique nomadic; she used to move from one to another place with her parents. When they found a new place, they had to settle in a deep jungle. For food, firstly they had to gather jungle wild fruit, vegetation and plant before cultivating a field for themselves. However, when Mrs. Miah was a girl, there was nobody dare to cultivate land to be a rice field.

There was only two “houses’ in the jungle of Wandasari at that time, and her family was the first pioneer resident there. During her life, she had three times married, but all of her husband’s died.

Mrs. Oyoh is her daughter from her second husband. Now, Mrs. Oyoh herself has 7 children and 13 grand children.

Although she was feeble, Mrs. Miahis still hoping to get long age. She tried to do her business as usual; pick tea leaves. Mrs. Miah looked healthy, different from her daughter, Mrs. Oyoh, who started to get sickly.

However, when they were sick, they never go to a medical doctor, even not to a take any medicine. They just go to the nearest jungle, pick some herbs or roots, and boiled them at home then drink t as an ancient traditional medical cure; and keep you in long live!

(Translated by Denny Rachmat from Undang Sudrajat/“PR” and Abdul Latif/Kabar Priangan 31 Mei 2010)