Leakages found in rice-for-poor projects: Minister<\/p>\n
Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
An independent monitoring team revealed on Wednesday a clear
\nviolation in the implementation of the fuel subsidy compensation
\nprogram which was supposedly aimed at reducing the impact of
\nhigher fuel prices on the poor.<\/p>\n
\"We are not ruling out possible violations by some of our
\nbrothers,\" said James Hellywarang, coordinator of the monitoring
\nteam from 35 universities across the country.<\/p>\n
He said that some residents, who did not qualify for the low-
\ncost rice, were still allowed to purchase the subsidized rice,
\nand then turned around and sold it to the poor at higher prices,
\nthus profiting from their poor neighbors.<\/p>\n
James chose not to make public the specific data on the
\nviolations that they had documented, saying that his team had yet
\nto finished their report.<\/p>\n
\"But, the percentage is very, very small,\" he added quickly.<\/p>\n
Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Jusuf Kalla
\nadmitted that many of the poor did not get the subsidized rice.<\/p>\n
\"It's our fault, but we will improve soon as this year's
\nprogram is not yet complete,\" he said when asked to comment on
\nthe independent monitoring team's statement in a press
\nconference.<\/p>\n
Also attending the presentation were Minister of Energy and
\nMineral Resources Purnomo Yusgiantoro, Minister of National
\nEducation Abdul Malik Fajar, State Minister of Communications and
\nInformation Minister Syamsul Mu'arif and Minister of Social
\nAffairs Bachtiar Chamsyah.<\/p>\n
This year, the government allocated Rp 4.4 billion
\n(US$517,600) for the fuel subsidy compensation scheme in the form
\nof below-market-price rice and other services. The government
\nalso has provided similar programs such as inexpensive health
\nservices, social services, primary education, higher education,
\nreligious education, transportation, water facilities, small-
\nscale enterprise help, coastal people's empowerment and
\ncontraception.<\/p>\n
Although the program was supposed to begin in January, Kalla
\nadmitted that only the rice and education programs had been
\nrunning for the 12 million or so poor people across the country.<\/p>\n
\"The government only got around to disbursing the funds in
\nMay,\" he said, adding that the government had not yet disbursed
\nmost of the money.<\/p>\n
The government has only implemented 11 percent of the program
\ndue to financial shortages, he said without elaborating.<\/p>\n
The government introduced the fuel subsidy compensation scheme
\nin 2000 to ease the burden of the fuel subsidy phasing-out on
\nlow-income people. It has cut off the fuel subsidy in accordance
\nwith the IMF bailout program requirements, which has been in
\neffect since 1997.<\/p>\n
The government decided to do a check on the use of the funds
\nfollowing reports that some of the money had missed its target
\ngroup, the poor, in 2001 due to corruption and shoddy
\nimplementation.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/leakages-found-in-rice-for-poor-projects-minister-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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