President orders aides to improve aid distribution<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): President B.J. Habibie ordered Cabinet ministers
\non Monday to improve and accelerate the distribution of the much-
\ncriticized social safety net program.<\/p>\n
He said transparent management was needed to maintain people's
\ntrust in the program.<\/p>\n
\"The President has asked us to overcome obstacles within the
\nprogram,\" Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare and Poverty
\nAlleviation Haryono Suyono said after meeting with Habibie at the
\nMerdeka Palace.<\/p>\n
Haryono said the President summoned him along with State
\nMinister of National Development Planning Boediono, after reading
\nreports of alleged irregularities in the program including
\nproblems in the disbursement of the funds for its intended
\nrecipients.<\/p>\n
The President also ordered ministers to complete negotiations
\nwith the World Bank and formulate improved plans for the
\nforthcoming fiscal year, which begins in April.<\/p>\n
\"On Wednesday we will hold a meeting with the World Bank to
\ncomplete the draft plan for next year,\" said Haryono.<\/p>\n
The government has proposed the House of Representatives set
\naside Rp 20 trillion from the 1999\/2000 state budget for the
\nsafety net funds, up from Rp 17.79 trillion allocated for the
\ncurrent fiscal year ending on March 31.<\/p>\n
According to Haryono, for the current fiscal year the
\ngovernment allocated Rp 1.5 trillion for the education sector, Rp
\n1 trillion for labor intensive projects and Rp 1.7 trillion for
\nrural development.<\/p>\n
Haryono revealed the government would lift its earlier
\ndecision to require aid recipients to show their identity cards
\nbefore receiving funds. He said many of the needy had been unable
\nto partake in the program because they did not have ID cards.<\/p>\n
\"With a guarantee from their neighbors they can also receive
\n(monies from) the fund,\" Haryono noted.<\/p>\n
Poor people from several districts in Jakarta, grouped in the
\nUrban Poor Consortium, have staged several demonstrations
\nrecently, urging greater transparency in the program.<\/p>\n
Coordinator of the group Wardah Hafidz said the poor could not
\nafford identification cards because of the high, unofficial fees
\ninvolved.<\/p>\n
The World Bank reportedly has threatened to suspend the
\ndisbursement of its loan for the program due to allegations of
\npoor and corrupt management. Both Boediono and Haryono said the
\nbank had denied such reports.<\/p>\n
Separately, Teten Masduki, the coordinator of corruption
\nwatchdog Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW), told The Jakarta Post
\nthat the chief problem of the social safety net program was the
\ngovernment's failure to prepare an in-depth study on the impact
\nof the worsening economic turmoil.<\/p>\n
\"Lack of information about the condition of people here and
\nbad planning has resulted in partial and slow absorption of the
\nsocial safety net fund,\" Teten said.<\/p>\n
The ICW has called on the World Bank to stop channeling funds
\nfor the program until the government proves it can systematically
\nimplement the program.<\/p>\n
It is hard for non-government organizations to monitor the
\nsafety net program without being involved in the planning, he
\nadded. (prb\/edt)<\/p>",
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