Can we really save rice by fasting?
JAKARTA (JP): "If all fat American ladies reduce their weight by 10 pounds, the energy saved would be enough to power New York all year."
That is what I read about two decades ago, when America desperately tried to save energy as the result of the oil embargo by Arab countries. It suggested that ladies reduce their visits to supermarkets, restaurants and parties. Instead of driving a car to a beauty salon a few blocks away, a lady was suggested to walk. That would save fuel. Weight reduction would also result in the reduction of electricity for cooking.
The statement, apparently, was released as criticism on Americans for using too much, unnecessary energy. There was no report about the result of the appeal. Neither was their explanation on whether America's survival through the fuel crisis was due to the weight-reduction program. There were still millions of overweight American ladies after the crisis was over.
This is analog with President Habibie's recent call for fasting on Mondays and Thursdays. As a scientist, the President based his appeal on the assumption that a person consumes 200 grams of rice at one time. "If 150 million people fast on Mondays and Thursdays, we can save three million tons a year," he said.
This statement, just like the one about American weight reduction, has raised the eyebrows of many. Mr. Ali Yafie, a prominent Moslem leader said the appeal was only good for those who are well fed. It would worsen the health of those suffering from a lack of nutrients in this kind of economic turmoil.
He added, "The objective of fasting is to enable one to fight lust, greed and your desire to do bad things such as corruption, collusion and other immoral practices. It may save food, but that is not the main purpose."
Mang Usil, Kompas daily's commentator, said most Indonesians have long fasted, not only on Mondays and Thursdays, but all week as a result of the crisis and scarcity of food.
Another leader has said that the rough calculation of rice saved from such fasting was not justifiable. "When you fast during the day, you eat more at the break of the fast, and besides, you usually require special food as a reward for having made it through hunger and thirst. So, if it is meant to save rice, fasting doesn't seem to work," he reasoned.
That reminds me of what we have been doing so far. Every time we get close to Ramadhan, the fasting month, the government always make statements about additional stocks of rice, flour... This shows that we consume more food when we are fasting.
Mr. Habibie, who has been in a tight squeeze since his appointment as the third Indonesian president, must have done a lot of thinking before he uttered his appeal. Not that he is desperate to find a solution to the high rate of inflation, the unstable value of the rupiah and the scarcity of consumer goods. The bottom line, apparently, is efficiency.
There are so many things we could do to help the government provide food for the needy besides saving rice. One is by sacrificing conveniences and luxuries. Think about expenses for a dinner at a medium-priced restaurant. One meal may cost approximately Rp 100,000. For a family of four, the bill would be Rp 400,000. With this kind of money, 800 people could be treated at a warteg (traditional food stall, the Tegal way).
If the same family ate out once a month, they would spend Rp 4,800,000 annually -- equal to 9,600 warteg meals. Suppose there were "only" a million Indonesian families who could afford this kind of luxury, and they were willing sacrifice such a meal, they could provide 9.6 billion warteg meals per year. This could feed 70 million people -- the number reported to be currently living below the poverty line -- for 137 days.
Amazing, right? This would lift a great deal of the burden from the government's shoulders. Then search your shopping bags intended for a week's consumption. Do you really need the three bags of peanuts for munching on in front of the TV, the chocolate for "snacks between meals", instant noodles for just in case...
And parties, general meetings etc. could be held modestly.
Incidentally, a leading political party just held its extraordinary congress at a five-star hotel. Some participants were the same people who frequently appear on TV to show concern of people's suffering. Estimated costs of this congress is Rp 2 billion. If conducted modestly, part of the money could have been used to help those broken-hearted pedicab drivers who came to Jakarta with the dream of improving their life, but now have to return home empty-handed. This could have consoled them over the governor's inconsistency.
Thinking of how much money they have spent on their congress, I begin to doubt their truthfulness. How could they talk of poverty and eat expensive food while people out there are fasting, as Mang Usil put it, from Monday to Sunday?
Well I don't know the answer. Maybe we can leave it to singer Ebiet G. Ade who used to croon "Mari kita tanya, pada rumput yang bergoyang" (Let's ask the swaying grasses).
-- Carl Chairul