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