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)