Cheap rice for the poor stolen

Cheap rice for the poor stolen

Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso was upset upon hearing that the central government had distributed cheap rice for poor families in Jakarta without his awareness.

He said that it was the city administration that is the most informed about the number of poor families and where they live in the capital city. Sutiyoso became even angrier after housewives in Klender, East Jakarta, complained that no single family in the area has received the cheap rice, worth Rp 1,000 per kilogram.

Locals said that each family should have received 10 kilograms in December.

Subdistrict officials denied the reports, claiming that the rice had been distributed through the neighborhood chiefs. Thus, it is the neighborhood chiefs that must be responsible for the distribution.

Shockingly the central rice market in Cipinang, East Jakarta, reported that some people, reportedly from the Klender subdistrict office and several neighborhood chiefs had tried to sell cheap rice to a rice seller in the market.

Distribution is obviously the main problem in such a scheme. Therefore non-governmental organizations always voice their concern about the implementation of compensation programs for poor families.

We just hope that whoever is in charge of distributing the rice or anything else for the poor will have the compassion not to steal or misuse what the poor families deserve.

-- Warta Kota, Jakarta