Relief packages fall into wrong hands<\/p>\n
Evi Mariani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Hundreds of evicted people from Cengkareng Timur, West Jakarta,
\nstaged a rally on Monday at the office of the Coordinating
\nMinister for People's Welfare in Central Jakarta, protesting the
\nalleged misappropriation of relief packages by officers of West
\nJakarta Social Agency and Cengkareng Timur subdistrict office.<\/p>\n
"The secretary of the office of the coordinating minister,
\nSutejo, told us that his office would replace the 190
\nmisappropriated packages and would involve us in the
\ndistribution," Marlo Sitompul, coordinator of the Coalition of
\nEvicted People, told The Jakarta Post on Monday.<\/p>\n
The evictees also demanded that the coordinating minister's
\noffice and the social affairs ministry investigate the case.<\/p>\n
A series of evictions in the last two months have prompted
\nseveral government institutions to distribute relief packages.<\/p>\n
Marlo said that the misappropriated packages were allegedly
\nhanded out by the social agency and subdistrict offices to non-
\nevicted people in Cengkareng Timur. The packages consisted of two
\nblankets, a sarong, 30 kilograms of rice and Rp 300,000 (US$35).<\/p>\n
The Coalition of Evicted People managed to secure the
\nremaining 100 packages but were yet to distribute them. They said
\nthat the number of packages was far less than the number of
\nevictees. Therefore, distributing them would only result in
\nfurther disputes.<\/p>\n
Marlo said that the evictees had asked coordinating minister
\nJusuf Kalla during an earlier protest to distribute the packages
\ndirectly to them. They also demanded that temporary shelters be
\nprovided before they could secure a place to settle.<\/p>\n
A similar outcome was experienced by evicted fishermen
\nfamilies in Muara Angke, North Jakarta, last week.<\/p>\n
They said that most of the relief packages donated by the
\nsocial affairs ministry last month had been received by non-
\nevicted people.<\/p>\n
"The officers required the evictees to show Jakarta ID cards
\nupon receiving the packages. Most of us don't have one," said one
\nof the evictees, Munaroh. "Many people living near our demolished
\nhouses showed their Jakarta ID cards to the officers and got the
\npackages."<\/p>\n
They claimed that they had applied for ID cards several times
\nbut were turned down by the subdistrict officers as they lived on
\nriverbanks.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/relief-packages-fall-into-wrong-hands-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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