Food stall owners protest late payment

JAKARTA (JP): The city administration promised yesterday to investigate allegations of delays in payment to many food stall owners engaged by the Ministry of Social Services to provide cheap meals to the poor.

Deputy Governor for Social Welfare Affairs Djailani said he had requested the City Social Services Office look into the matter.

"I've heard that some food stall owners haven't received the payment, but we should investigate it first before making a judgment.

"If our officials are involved in embezzling the funds, we will not hesitate to take stern action against them."

He did not provide details on possible sanctions.

Former minister of social services Siti Hardijanti Rukmana, better known as Tutut, who is also the oldest daughter of former president Soeharto, launched a cheap food campaign on March 24 to help reduce the burden of the poor during the monetary crisis.

It was mainly financed by the first-year salaries donated by Soeharto and his Cabinet ministers, and through donations from business tycoons.

The distribution of the inexpensive but nutritious meals was conducted by 300 food stalls -- popularly known as "warteg" -- among low-income people in the city's five mayoralties. Each food stall was required to provide meals worth Rp 1,500 each, with the costs to be claimed at the organizing committee at the end of the week.

Tutut had explained that out of the Rp 3 billion collected by her ministry for the program, Rp 40 million had been channeled to each of the five mayoralties.

But the head of the food stall owners cooperative, Sastoro, said Thursday he received many complaints from his members in Pasar Minggu, South Jakarta, and Cengkareng, West Jakarta, that they had not been reimbursed.

"In the past they are not brave enough to speak about their complaints. But now they have the courage to do so as the father of Mbak Tutut, has stepped down." He did not say how many stall owners had complained.

Sastoro said it should be first checked who were persons behind the delay in the payment... they could be from the ministry or the city office.

Djailani said the administration should not waste time in solving the matter as people were badly in need of the money.

"Don't burden the poor," he said.

Head of the city chapter of the United Development Party Rusjdi Hamka also urged the administration yesterday to meet its obligation to the stall owners as soon as possible.

"The food sellers can file suit against the negligent officials," he said. (ind)