Baduy people rejects govt aid

Baduy people rejects govt aid

LEBAK, West Java: The indigenous Baduy tribe in Kanekes
village have refused to accept government aid, stressing that it
goes against their traditional beliefs.

Head of the local village development office Zainal Arifin
Sastramihardja said he had already reported the case to the
central government in Jakarta and is awaiting further
instructions.

One alternative is to find ways of getting the funds without
giving the impression that it is government aid, Zainal said as
reported by the Antara news agency.

The aid program for the least developed villages, known by the
Indonesian acronym IDT, sends packets of Rp 20 million to over
20,000 villages in Indonesia.

Lebak Regent Didin Muchyidin said he hopes the central
government would not simply cut the aid for the Baduy people
because their villages are seriously underdeveloped.

"Perhaps the aid can be distributed through other means such
as through the establishment of cooperatives," he said. (pwn)