Students rally for actions to defuse crisis<\/p>\n
BOGOR (JP): Dozens of students participated in a rally outside
\nof the Bogor legislative council office Wednesday to urge
\nauthorities to take immediate steps to cope with the current
\neconomic turmoil.<\/p>\n
The students, members of the local chapter of the Indonesian
\nAssociation of Islamic Students (HMI), were concerned about
\nunstable food prices in local markets and about people who were
\nmanipulating the situation for personal gain, said Andi Irman
\nIdris Patiroy, the group's spokesman.<\/p>\n
Irman said that the legislative council should prompt the city
\nadministration to \"directly monitor and supervise the
\ndistribution of food stocks in the markets\".<\/p>\n
If such actions were not taken, he said, the city would face
\nskyrocketing prices for various items.<\/p>\n
The students said that such a market operation should target
\nstaple foods in particular in order to stabilize their prices.<\/p>\n
The market operation could also be used to identify any
\npossible food hoarders, Irman said.<\/p>\n
\"Stern legal action should be taken immediately against people
\nhoarding food. It's in the public interest,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Like in many other cities throughout the country, Bogor has
\nbeen seriously affected by last week's buying spree following the
\nrupiah's free fall to Rp 10,000 against the U.S. dollar.<\/p>\n
On Wednesday, for example, a housewife from Bogor was forced
\nto go to a market in Jakarta organized by the City's Logistic
\nAgency to buy a few liters of cooking oil.<\/p>\n
\"I had to go there because I still couldn't find any cooking
\noil in Bogor,\" she told reporters.<\/p>\n
Some legislative council members who met with the HMI students
\nWednesday promised to submit the students' requests in an
\nupcoming meeting between the mayoralty and legislative office.<\/p>\n
The students also questioned why labor-intensive projects,
\nstarted in many big cities to ease unemployment, had not yet been
\nimplemented in Bogor.<\/p>\n
The projects are designed to temporarily hire some of the huge
\nnumber of blue-collar workers laid off following the country's
\neconomic turmoil.<\/p>\n
Responding to the student's concerns, a representative of the
\nmayor's office explained that officials of related agencies would
\nmeet soon to discuss the implementation of the planned projects.<\/p>\n
The projects would concentrate on cleaning drainage systems,
\ngarbage collection and road repairs, the office's assistant for
\nadministration and development affairs, Sukiya, said.<\/p>\n
The projects would have a budget of up to Rp 1 billion, he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
\"Ninety percent of the allocated budget would be used to pay
\nthe workers, while the remaining 10 percent would be for the
\nadministrative and logistical costs,\" Sukiya said.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the municipality spokesman, Hari Harsono, said the
\ncity -- in an attempt to stabilize staple food prices -- would
\nhold a two-day bazaar offering cheap food prices beginning today.<\/p>\n
\"The prices will be cheaper than in the markets. Afterwards,
\nwe'll also hold a similar event in every district here,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Sukiya denied rumors that Bogor's stores and markets had run
\nout of some basic food items.<\/p>\n
\"I haven't seen any scarcity in the markets. Our survey shows
\nthat only certain brands have disappeared in the markets,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
He said that staple food stocks were abundant in the city's
\ntraditional markets.<\/p>\n
\"Even the traders in the markets don't know about the issue of
\na lack of food items,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Sukiya, however, admitted that there had been a rise in prices
\nin the city's stores and markets, ranging between 20 percent and
\n30 percent. (24\/04\/bsr)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/students-rally-for-actions-to-defuse-crisis-1447893297",
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