Villagers ponder whereabouts of missing rice<\/p>\n
BANDUNG (JP): While the reform movement may have provided the
\nmomentum for the introduction of a more transparent governmental
\nsystem with an open atmosphere, nevertheless vestiges of the old
\ncorrupt, collusive and nepotistic practices still prevail.<\/p>\n
Desperate times breed desperate officials and recent cases in
\nthe West Java area continue to reveal flagrant abuses of power at
\nthe expense of tens of thousands of people.<\/p>\n
When the economic crisis began to hit the country three years
\nago, the government launched a program to supply cheap rice to
\npoor families in order to protect them against the soaring price
\nof the staple.<\/p>\n
Channeled through the respective Provincial Logistics Agencies
\n(Dolog), each family could buy 20 kilograms of rice per month at
\nthe heavily discounted price of Rp 1,000 per kilogram.<\/p>\n
The program was then augmented to include a Social Safety Net
\n(JPS) scheme launched by the National Development Planning Board
\n(Bapenas).<\/p>\n
But since November of last year, the residents of several
\nvillages, including Sumbersari in Ciparay subdistrict, Bandung
\nregency, have no longer been receiving the rice from Dolog.<\/p>\n
"Residents here keep questioning why we don't sell cheap rice
\nanymore," village head Ruchiyat Zamzam told The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
The residents, Ruchiyat said, badly need the rice as most earn
\nonly a little money as farmers.<\/p>\n
Ruchiyat proceeded to investigate the matter.<\/p>\n
He was shocked to discover that, according to Dolog, the rice
\nsupplies had been canceled as Sumbersari was already Rp 5 million
\n($556) in debt to the agency for the purchase of the rice.<\/p>\n
He was left speechless as he had been regularly depositing the
\nmoney every month.<\/p>\n
An almost identical situation arose in three other villages --
\nGunung Leutik, Pakutandang and Mekarsari -- in the same
\nsubdistrict.<\/p>\n
The total debt owed by the four villages to Dolog amounted to
\nmore than Rp 60 million.<\/p>\n
"We had to terminate the (rice) supply as the villages haven't
\npaid the money whereas we need it to buy more supplies," said
\nWest Java Dolog spokesperson Gugun G. Gaos.<\/p>\n
Attention then began to focus on an official of Ciparay
\nsubdistrict named Aep Saepudin as some 4,000 families in the
\nvillages concerned had pooled their money and given it to him.<\/p>\n
Aep had taken the "initiative" of offering to collect the
\nmoney and transfer it to a Dolog account at a local bank.<\/p>\n
"We thought it would make our job easier. We also trusted him
\nbecause he was such a religious person," Ruchiyat said, adding
\nthat Aep apparently used the funds to build a house.<\/p>\n
When Ruchiyat and the other village heads found out, they
\ndemanded that Aep return the money.<\/p>\n
Ashamed and with nowhere to run, on Dec. 5, 1999 Aep hung
\nhimself in his parents' kitchen in Cianjur, leaving the case
\nunresolved.<\/p>\n
Aep's family claim they have no money to return to the
\nvillagers while Dolog insists that it cannot distribute the rice
\nuntil the debt has been fully paid off.<\/p>\n
As a result, thousands remain excluded from the cheap rice
\nscheme.<\/p>\n
A similar case was also reported in Pandeglang where a village
\nchief admitted to using the collected funds to buy a new car.<\/p>\n
In Cilawu subdistrict, Garut, the money was used by the
\nvillage chief to hold a wedding party for his daughter.<\/p>\n
Another village chief in Garut admitted that he had spent the
\nmoney on supporting his second wife.<\/p>\n
A slightly different modus was used by a South Cianjur village
\nchief who did not collect money at all from villagers, but
\ninstead took the rice from Dolog and distributed it for free
\nduring an election campaign in order to get reelected.<\/p>\n
Oddly, none of these officials have been prosecuted.<\/p>\n
The total arrears owed to Dolog in the province as of October
\nstood at more than Rp 15 billion ($1.7 million) with the highest
\nlevel of debt, amounting to some Rp 1.8 billion ($200,000), being
\nfound in Bandung regency.<\/p>\n
Ironically, 99 percent of the arrears were due to corruption,
\nand not because the residents were unable or refused to pay.<\/p>\n
Since April of this year, Dolog has reduced its supply to only
\n10 kilograms per family and payment in advance is required.<\/p>\n
"That's all we can do, as we can't press charges against the
\ncorrupt officials because we don't have the authority to," Gugun
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
"We've asked governors to ask regencies to pay their debts,
\nbut there has been no response," he said.<\/p>\n
The newly installed head of Ciparay subdistrict recently asked
\nDolog to erase the debt because Aep was dead, so that the
\nresidents can receive their rice again.<\/p>\n
But Dolog insists that the problem is not that simple as the
\nRp 60 million debt is not the government's money but turnover
\nmoney used to buy rice.<\/p>\n
Until then, the residents' wish to get cheap rice to feed
\ntheir families will remain but a wish.(25\/hdn)<\/p>",
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