NGO blows whistle on food aid swindle<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): A Bangkok-based group has accused the government
\nof President B.J. Habibie of abusing international food aid to
\nbolster the electoral chances of certain political parties.<\/p>\n
The Southeast Asia Council for Food Security and Fair Trade
\nsaid in a statement received on Saturday that it found the
\nIndonesian government had retargeted the food aid away from rural
\nareas to urban groups \"in an attempt to pacify unrest and
\nmaintain political support for the upcoming elections\".<\/p>\n
It quoted Philip Clarke, head of the World Food Program
\nmission in Indonesia as telling the council's fact-finding
\nmission that Indonesia was not suffering a food crisis.<\/p>\n
\"We're used to Africa, and we didn't find those conditions of
\nhunger here,\" said Clarke. \"So we should probably wind up and go
\nback to Africa, where we belong,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Indonesia's financial collapse led to it becoming the world's
\nlargest recipient of international food aid in 1998.<\/p>\n
The council, a network of 10 non-governmental organizations
\n(NGOs) and research institutes, sent teams of investigators to
\nEast Timor, Central Java and East Kalimantan.<\/p>\n
The investigators saw evidence of corruption and incompetent
\ndistribution of food aid, the statement said.<\/p>\n
The team concluded that food aid was being used for political
\nrather than humanitarian reasons, and believed that relief should
\nbe targeted at countries with a real food crisis, such as North
\nKorea.<\/p>\n
It also found that Indonesia's food problems and related
\nunrest would not be solved through aid, but rather by creating
\njobs and sustainable industrial and agricultural sectors.<\/p>\n
Lawsuit<\/p>\n
In Kediri, East Java, Antara quoted chairman of the People's
\nSovereignty Party (PDR), Latief Burhan, as saying on Saturday
\nthat he is considering taking legal action against those who have
\nbeen accusing the party of practicing \"money politics\" ahead of
\nthe elections.<\/p>\n
The Urban Poor Consortium (UPC) has accused PDR and the Golkar
\nParty, of abusing a US$800 million poverty alleviation program
\nfor their election campaigns.<\/p>\n
On Sunday about a 100 people saying they were of the urban
\npoor demonstrated at UPC's office in East Jakarta saying UPC was
\n\"against people's economy,\" the agency reported. They rejected
\nUPC request for a dialog and dispersed. The office was tightly
\nguarded since morning by security personnel following harassment
\nthrough phone calls.<\/p>\n
UPC also accused PDR of taking advantage of Rp 6.5 trillion
\n(US$802 million) of government money earmarked for the poor.<\/p>\n
PDR is widely associated with Minister of Cooperatives and
\nSmall Enterprises Adi Sasono, who denied any formal link despite
\nhuge party adverts carrying his portrait.<\/p>\n
UPC coordinator, Wardah Hafidz, told a media conference on
\nWednesday that Golkar and PDR had used some of the World Bank-
\nfunded social safety net funds to help promote their parties.<\/p>\n
The social safety net program is a World Bank-channeled fund
\naimed at helping millions forced to live below the poverty line
\nbecause of the economic crisis of the past two years.<\/p>\n
A number of non-governmental organizations complained to the
\nWorld Bank in February that only 30 percent of the $2 billion in
\nthe fund in the fiscal year to March 31 had been disbursed by
\nDecember.<\/p>\n
On May 20, the World Bank approved two loans totaling $1.1
\nbillion for Indonesia, after Jakarta agreed not to use the money
\nuntil after the June 7 elections.<\/p>\n
One $600 million loan is to help strengthen the safety net
\nprogram, while the other, for $500 million, will support economic
\nreforms, the World Bank said.<\/p>\n
Responding to concerns about the fund, the government promised
\nnot to use World Bank funds to finance the budget until July.<\/p>\n
The World Bank had delayed approving the loan, which was
\nexpected earlier, until it obtained assurances the money would
\nnot be touched until after the elections.<\/p>\n
Fears have been expressed that Golkar would use the fund to
\nget a campaign edge in the elections. (emb\/byg)<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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