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)