Councilor urges direct food delivery
Councilor urges direct food delivery
JAKARTA (JP): A city councilor urged the city administration
yesterday to deliver much-needed staple food supplies directly to
subdistricts to prevent deviations from its market operation.
The head of Commission B for economic affairs, Djafar
Badjeber, said that direct dropping of commodities made it easier
to ensure they reached the public.
Djafar made the statement following reports that officials,
who were overseeing the market operation, allegedly stockpiled
food supplies to enable them to resell them at higher prices.
"Sometimes they use their children to buy the staples in large
amounts."
Because of such a practice, the operation to stabilize the
prices of staple food in markets throughout the city had been
useless, he said.
Dolog Jaya, the city's branch of the National Logistics Agency
(Bulog), should not sell the supplies in large amounts to certain
people during the market operation, he said.
Djafar said Dolog Jaya was not prepared for the recent
situation where staple prices soared following a run on markets.
"We understand that Dolog Jaya faces difficulties in handling
the situation as such an occurrence has never happened during the
new order government."
Djafar praised yesterday the abolition of Bulog's trade
monopoly on some staple food because the move would encourage the
city-owned market company PD Pasar Jaya to play a greater role.
"The abolition will enable Pasar Jaya to increasingly become a
center for the distribution of food supplies instead of just
functioning as a seller of kiosks," he said.
In line with the massive economic program announced last week,
Bulog lost its monopoly over sugar and wheat imports and
distribution, but not rice.
Djafar said that the field was now wide open for the market
company to grab the opportunity.
"The question is whether Pasar Jaya will or will be able to
compete with private businesses," he said, urging the company to
improve its performance and sharpen its business vision. (ind)