Assistance scheme no help

Assistance scheme no help

From Kompas

The government's fuel subsidy compensation scheme remains a mess. The public's fears that the direct cash assistance scheme would become tainted by corruption have apparently been borne out.

According to Vice President Jusuf Kalla and Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Alwi Shihab, serious misfeasance has been afoot. The main problems are: many poor families, as defined by the national statistics agency, have not received their entitlement cards, many poor families have not been registered, and the entitlement cards are being bought and sold.

The public welfare minister has announced that in order to reduce the number of violations, the use of citizen's identity cards or official certificates will be required. In practice, however, a lot of people still don't understand the procedures for claiming their entitlements.

Thus, the poor are once again being made the victims of theft by unscrupulous people. The requirements for obtaining the money have just caused headaches for many of those in need.

IRAWATI Jakarta