Food stall owners vow to seek compensation<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The Roadside Food Stall Owners Cooperative vowed
\nyesterday to continue pressuring the government to compensate
\nthem for losses suffered during the free-meal programs organized
\nin March by former minister of social services Siti Hardijanti
\nRukmana.<\/p>\n
Cooperative head Sastoro said at least 13 fellow traders
\nsought help from related bodies, including the Ministry of
\nCooperatives and Small Enterprises, in April to clear their
\nunpaid meals worth Rp 7 million (US$600).<\/p>\n
However, they received no appropriate response, he said.<\/p>\n
\"But we'll continue to ask for compensation from the
\ngovernment and I believe the (new) government will meet our
\nrequest or else we'll pursue legal avenues,\" Sastoro told The
\nJakarta Post.<\/p>\n
The charity event was designed to temporarily provide meals
\nfor Jakartans, especially lower-class workers who had lost their
\njobs as a result of the monetary crisis.<\/p>\n
In highly publicized ceremonies, the then minister Hardijanti,
\nformer president Soeharto's eldest daughter popularly known as
\nTutut, launched her scheme and invited selected unemployed
\nresidents to receive the free meals.<\/p>\n
The program was launched following her father's pledge to
\ndonate his and his ministers' salaries to the poverty alleviation
\nprogram.<\/p>\n
The meals were paid for with the Rp 40 million she distributed
\nto the city's five mayoralties for the poverty alleviation
\ncampaign.<\/p>\n
Tutut herself had collected a total of some Rp 3 billion for
\nthe nationwide scheme.<\/p>\n
During the program some 15,000 boxes worth Rp 1,500 each were
\nprovided by about 400 food stalls in all five mayoralties.<\/p>\n
The meals, consisted of rice, half an egg, vegetables and a
\npiece of tempeh, were given to the needy in return for the
\ncoupons the latter collected at their respective sub district
\nofficials.<\/p>\n
Each stallholder was supposed to give the meals to 50-odd
\npeople who had been given coupons, Sastoro said. The 13
\ncomplainants had each received Rp 525,000 in advance payments.<\/p>\n
\"But more people, mostly without coupons, turned up and
\ndemanded for the meals, claiming that they also deserved the
\nmeals because they were unemployed and poor,\" he said.<\/p>\n
\"The stallholders could not shun them because the organizers
\ndid nothing to stop them. So they still suffered losses.\"<\/p>\n
He gave no reason why the cooperative only exposed the problem
\nafter Tutut was dismissed from her position last month a few days
\nafter Soeharto resigned the presidency.<\/p>\n
The cooperative has opened a hotline center to help other
\nstallholders who might have experienced the same problem during
\nTutut's campaign.<\/p>\n
\"There might be other owners who did not report their losses.
\nNot to mention those who are not members to the cooperative. I
\nheard some complained their fees were not paid by the program
\norganizers,\" Sastoro said.<\/p>\n
He also accused the free meal program of being ineffective and
\nlooking like a \"Robin Hood\" campaign.<\/p>\n
\"It was incorrect to let unemployed or poor people get free
\nfood from other poor people who worked night and day to support
\nthemselves,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He said many food stall owners had also lost their livelihoods
\nbecause of the economic crisis.<\/p>\n
\"About 25 percent of our 4,500 members in Jakarta have closed
\ntheir businesses. Some of them went back to their villages,
\nothers took work with other owners,\" said Sastoro.<\/p>\n
He lambasted Tutut for using the program only to gain support
\nand sympathy from the poor.<\/p>\n
\"This was never a rescue program. It was only a hura-hura
\n(enjoyment) event during which she received lots of money donated
\nby businesspeople for this program,\" he said. (cst)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/food-stall-owners-vow-to-seek-compensation-1447893297",
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"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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