First Lady opens cheap market

First Lady opens cheap market

JAKARTA (JP): Accompanied by her husband B.J. Habibie, First
Lady Hasri Ainun Habibie opened a three-day cheap market on
Saturday at the National Monument (Monas) Park aimed at providing
city dwellers with food and other basic needs at very affordable
prices for Ramadhan and Lebaran.

Security was tight at the opening ceremony, not only because
Presidential Guards were watching out for the First Lady but
because a bazaar held at the same site last year ended abruptly
in a free-for-all fiasco.

The First Lady said that as a housewife, she deeply
understands the feeling of other mothers who want to make their
families happy by at least meeting basic needs, especially during
this fasting month.

"As a mother, I can feel the sadness of a family who is not
able to send their children to school, or whose children have to
go to streets to search for food and beg from the rich," she said
when opening the bazaar.

The bazaar was organized by Dharma Wanita, the compulsory
civil servants' wives organization of the Ministry of
Cooperatives.

The 326 stalls sold, among other things, cooking oil, meat,
rice and clothes.

Minister of Cooperatives Adi Sasono, whose wife is the
chairwoman of the Dharma Wanita at his ministry, said, "Meat here
is priced at Rp 20,000, much lower compared to the market price."

Adi said his ministry had allocated up to Rp 1 billion for
cheap credit targeted at small-scale meat traders in a bid to
lower prices throughout the country, anticipating high demands
before Idul Fitri, which falls on Jan. 19 this year.

First Lady Hasri remarked that in normal times, it would be
"better to give a fishing rod than the fish."

"But in these difficult times it is better to give them both,"
she said.

Of the tight security, an officer, citing last year's
experience, said, "Hundreds of looters just took the commodities
without paying and defied our warnings."

Fortunately, the July incident did not occur again, although
dozens of people had begun to shop before the President arrived.

Accompanied by Adi and Minister/State Secretary Akbar
Tandjung, Habibie and his wife bought fried crackers worth Rp
35,000. They also bought a rattan basket worth Rp 32,000 from the
stand of Trisakti University students.

Hasri also bought baby clothes worth Rp 44,500 for her
grandchild. As he was fasting, the President had to miss his
hobby of trying some of the food on sale.

Adi, a former activist, could not hide his pride of the cheap
market, apparently as it was organized by his own wife.

"I used to be suspicious of Dharma Wanita. And now my wife is
its chairwoman. Now I realize some of Dharma Wanita's activities
are quite good," Adi said with a smile. (prb)