Food stall owners protest late payment<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The city administration promised yesterday to
\ninvestigate allegations of delays in payment to many food stall
\nowners engaged by the Ministry of Social Services to provide
\ncheap meals to the poor.<\/p>\n
Deputy Governor for Social Welfare Affairs Djailani said he
\nhad requested the City Social Services Office look into the
\nmatter.<\/p>\n
\"I've heard that some food stall owners haven't received the
\npayment, but we should investigate it first before making a
\njudgment.<\/p>\n
\"If our officials are involved in embezzling the funds, we
\nwill not hesitate to take stern action against them.\"<\/p>\n
He did not provide details on possible sanctions.<\/p>\n
Former minister of social services Siti Hardijanti Rukmana,
\nbetter known as Tutut, who is also the oldest daughter of former
\npresident Soeharto, launched a cheap food campaign on March 24 to
\nhelp reduce the burden of the poor during the monetary crisis.<\/p>\n
It was mainly financed by the first-year salaries donated by
\nSoeharto and his Cabinet ministers, and through donations from
\nbusiness tycoons.<\/p>\n
The distribution of the inexpensive but nutritious meals was
\nconducted by 300 food stalls -- popularly known as \"warteg\" --
\namong low-income people in the city's five mayoralties. Each food
\nstall was required to provide meals worth Rp 1,500 each, with the
\ncosts to be claimed at the organizing committee at the end of the
\nweek.<\/p>\n
Tutut had explained that out of the Rp 3 billion collected by
\nher ministry for the program, Rp 40 million had been channeled to
\neach of the five mayoralties.<\/p>\n
But the head of the food stall owners cooperative, Sastoro,
\nsaid Thursday he received many complaints from his members in
\nPasar Minggu, South Jakarta, and Cengkareng, West Jakarta, that
\nthey had not been reimbursed.<\/p>\n
\"In the past they are not brave enough to speak about their
\ncomplaints. But now they have the courage to do so as the father
\nof Mbak Tutut, has stepped down.\" He did not say how many stall
\nowners had complained.<\/p>\n
Sastoro said it should be first checked who were persons
\nbehind the delay in the payment... they could be from the
\nministry or the city office.<\/p>\n
Djailani said the administration should not waste time in
\nsolving the matter as people were badly in need of the money.<\/p>\n
\"Don't burden the poor,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Head of the city chapter of the United Development Party
\nRusjdi Hamka also urged the administration yesterday to meet its
\nobligation to the stall owners as soon as possible.<\/p>\n
\"The food sellers can file suit against the negligent
\nofficials,\" he said. (ind)<\/p>",
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