JPS program should be redesigned: NGOs<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) called on
\nthe government on Tuesday to redesign the social safety net
\nprogram (JP).<\/p>\n
The NGOs said poor planning and coordination caused the social
\nsafety net program -- known by the local acronym JPS -- to not
\nonly be inefficient but to fail to reach its intended targets.<\/p>\n
They concluded that the underlying cause of the program's
\nineffectiveness was a lack of detailed regulations for the
\ndistribution of money, selection of recipients and assessment of
\nthe program's effectiveness.<\/p>\n
The conclusions were derived from recent field observations on
\nthe implementation of JPS programs in Greater Jakarta, Central
\nJava, Yogyakarta and East Java conducted by at least seven local
\nNGOs.<\/p>\n
One of the NGOs, Yayasan Bina Swadaya, which observed the JPS
\nprogram in some areas of Yogyakarta, suggested that the
\ngovernment provide a more transparent procedure for the selection
\nof fund recipients, to avoid the potential for conflict within
\ncommunities.<\/p>\n
\"Seeds of conflict between community members emerged when some
\npeople who did not receive the funds envied others who got the
\nmoney, claiming they should have been given the money because
\nthey are poorer than others,\" said an activist of Bina Swadaya,
\nSri Wahyuni.<\/p>\n
Umi Pujihastuti of PINBUK said her organization found that a
\ngreat deal of the money allocated for areas in Bandung,
\nTasiklamaya and Garut in West Java was not given to the people
\nmost in need of assistance.<\/p>\n
\"That's because local authorities responsible for the
\ndistribution of funds do not have complete, precise and up-to-
\ndate data on poor families in the area eligible to receive the
\nfunds,\" she said.<\/p>\n
She said local authorities had relied on data of poor families
\nissued by state institutions, including the National Coordinating
\nBoard for Family Planning Program, which was outdated did not
\nhave information beyond the regency level.<\/p>\n
Hariadi Darmawan of Yayasan Bina Swadaya said the government
\nshould consider involving community groups in the social safety
\nnet program.<\/p>\n
\"Because it is the local community itself that knows which
\nfamilies among them need the money the most and what type of JPS
\nfunds are needed in the area,\" he said.<\/p>\n
In order to help poor people survive the prolonged economic
\ncrisis, the government has since last year implemented various
\nJPS schemes, including Empowering Regions to Overcome the Impact
\nof the Economic Crisis, labor intensive programs, subsidized
\nrice, scholarships to keep children in school and health care
\nprograms.<\/p>\n
However, a lack of transparency and regulations for fund usage
\nand distribution made it easier for irresponsible officials to
\nuse the money to benefit themselves and local authorities'
\nprograms, said Hamka Candranaya of the Center for Society's
\nParticipation foundation.<\/p>\n
The Food for Poor People and Yayasan Amanah Ummat, both of
\nwhich observed the implementation of JPS programs in the greater
\nJakarta area, suggested that the government apply a direct
\nmonitoring system on the distribution of the funds to reduce the
\nrisk of administrators manipulating the money.<\/p>\n
They added that officials responsible for the management and
\ndistribution of the funds, both at ministry and community level,
\nshould be required to provide a complete report on the selection
\nof recipients and money distribution and usage. (cst)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/jps-program-should-be-redesigned-ngos-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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