Begging business

Begging business

From Kompas

It was hot and dusty at about 10 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 12.
At the crossroads of Jl. Sabang, Central Jakarta, a woman in rags
carried a cute baby of about five months old. She used the baby
to get the sympathy and money of drivers.

That same day, there had been intense discussion on bank
liquidations and bailout funds from the IMF amounting to
trillions of rupiah. All this seemed hollow compared to the
plight of the baby used as a commodity to beg at night in the
center of Jakarta.

The headquarters of Bank Indonesia is near where I witnessed
the begging scene. Has our conscience been blinded by trillions
of rupiah that we can't even take care of a helpless baby?

This is meant for the Minister of Social Services. With the
power at your disposal, please see to it that there are no more
babies used for begging in Jakarta and throughout Indonesia. This
is indeed inhumane.

I apologize to you for writing this letter. But my heart bled
when I saw the baby used for begging. I wrote this letter after
thinking about it for a long time, but I did not know to whom it
should be addressed. Finally, I decided this letter should got to
you, the Minister of Social Services.

BAMBANG SETIADI

Jakarta