Poor kids sit down with politicians<\/p>\n
By Emmy Fitri<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): What did we really expect from a discussion
\nbetween impoverished children and top politicians? Surely not a
\nheated debate on recent political stances, leaked political
\nsecrets or who was going to be the next president?<\/p>\n
No, the children talked freely about their routines --
\nfriends, school, parents, playgrounds -- and dreams of becoming
\npresident and one day having a peaceful and prosperous country.<\/p>\n
Some however, complained about their parents' situation, many
\nof whom had lost their jobs due to the crippling economic
\nsituation and violence at their work place, such as bus terminals
\nor markets.<\/p>\n
In reply, the political figures, who met some 30 street
\nchildren aged between five and 15 years old on Thursday evening
\nat the main plaza of Cafe Tenda Semanggi, sympathetically
\nresponded but added campaign style remarks to the children's
\nstories.<\/p>\n
The kids from several slum areas of the city met National
\nMandate Party's (PAN) general secretary Faisal Basri and
\nIndonesian Democratic Party of Struggle's (PDI Perjuangan) vice
\ntreasurer Novi during the Thursday gathering, organized by the
\ngroup Susu untuk Anak Bangsa (Milk for the nation's children).
\nNoted children's rights campaigner Nafsiah Mboi also attended.<\/p>\n
The high spirited children vied with each other to speak up in
\nfront of the well-known figures and their friends.<\/p>\n
Racing<\/p>\n
Raising their hands was not enough. They often ran on to the
\nstage and stood still until they got a chance to hold the
\nmicrophone and talk.<\/p>\n
\"My school building is good but my classmates are naughty.
\nSome male students like to draw pictures on the school's walls.
\nIf I scold them, they'll chase me and kick me,\" school girl Monik
\nof state-run SDN 1 elementary school in Pulogadung, East Jakarta,
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
She said her mother was often unable to meet the deadline to
\npay the Rp 15,000 (US$1.90) monthly school fee.<\/p>\n
\"But I'm not ashamed anymore,\" she said.<\/p>\n
Monik continued by saying that her female teacher often cried
\nbefore her pupils as she failed to control them.<\/p>\n
\"She rarely comes to school to teach us now. My friends say
\nshe also teaches at SDN 4, so she has little time for us,\" Monik,
\nwho's parents are factory laborers, said.<\/p>\n
Fourteen-year-old Boyo, an elementary school dropout, said he
\nnow had to earn money for a living by pushing luggage carts at
\nPulogadung bus terminal in East Jakarta since his father could no
\nlonger afford to pay for his school and his other three siblings.<\/p>\n
If the school fee remained expensive and his parents would not
\nbe able to pay the monthly fee, Boyo said he would rather join
\nthe military.<\/p>\n
\"If I can't go to school anymore, I want to be an ABRI
\npersonnel,\" he said, triggering laughter and applause from the
\naudience.<\/p>\n
Herawati, 15, whose father was formerly a public minivan
\ndriver at Pondok Kopi, said she loved her school but she had to
\nquit her sixth year class as her father had been dismissed and
\nwas still unemployed.<\/p>\n
\"I now work for many people from washing clothes to cleaning
\nhouses,\" she said.<\/p>\n
Herawati said, her dream was to see Indonesia become a
\nprosperous country so there would be no more laid-off fathers and
\nall children could go to school.<\/p>\n
Blame<\/p>\n
Faisal Basri, father of two children, said that the bitterness
\nexpressed by the children was the result of an unfair government
\nsystem.<\/p>\n
He hoped that in the future, education would receive better
\nattention from the government.<\/p>\n
\"Your teachers, with their limited monthly salaries,
\n(sometimes) threaten you with degrading your marks if you don't
\ngo to their extra courses. Or they have to leave your classes to
\nteach somewhere else, just because they need additional income,\"
\nthe noted economist said.<\/p>\n
He said the poor attention to children and education could be
\nblamed on the mounting corruption allegedly committed by state
\nofficials, military and police.<\/p>\n
\"We have heard from all of you and I hope we can take up your
\nfight and help you,\" Faisal told the children.<\/p>\n
Novi of PDI Perjuangan agreed with Faisal's opinion. She
\npointed out the mushrooming number of school brawls in the
\ncapital's streets.<\/p>\n
\"Have you ever seen your big brothers fighting on streets? How
\ndo you feel, sad or happy?\" Novi asked the children, who quickly
\npicked the first option as their answer.<\/p>\n
The children's need for spacious playgrounds and better
\narrangements of the school curriculum were vital for the
\ncountry's basic education, she said.<\/p>\n
The three-hour program exhausted the children. When Nafsiah
\nMboy came up on the stage and invited them to sit around her to
\nlisten to her speech the children apparently became bored.<\/p>\n
Some of them moved slowly to leave the stage and only started
\nto cheer when Nafsiah asked them to sing and promised not to give
\na long speech.<\/p>\n
Nafsiah, wife of former West Nusa Tenggara governor, explained
\nthat she was not a politician and could not promise anything to
\nthe children in reply to their sad stories.<\/p>\n
Nafsiah, who recently became a member of the United Nations
\nCommittee on Children's Rights, said she was deeply touched by
\nthe children's honest stories.<\/p>\n
\"I adore your honesty. Do not stop being critical and telling
\ntrue stories,\" she said.<\/p>\n
\"All your names and stories are kept in my book. I'll do my
\nbest to be on your side,\" she pledged.<\/p>\n
Closing the program, the children were given pieces of paper
\nto write down their hopes for the country.<\/p>\n
After being completed, the \"papers of hope\" -- mostly with
\nwishes for free schooling and a halt to rioting -- were tied to
\nballoons and then released into the city's dark sky.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/poor-kids-sit-down-with-politicians-1447893297",
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