Government 'has not done its best'

Government 'has not done its best'

With the deaths of six people from avian influenza, and at
least 19 other people hospitalized, the disease has sent fresh
fear across the country. The Jakarta Post talked to some Jakarta
people about whether or not the government has done enough to
contain the outbreak.

Doddy, 30, works for a TV station in East Jakarta. He lives in
Depok:

The government has so far not done its utmost to prevent the
outbreak. Since the first deaths of Iwan Siswara and his two
daughters in Tangerang in June, the government is still in the
dark about the source of bird flu. Speculations is rife among the
public and this is causing panic.

The impact is really devastating for business, especially,
poultry breeders. The government must speed up the process of
finding the source of transmission and take immediate action to
prevent the spread of the virus. Otherwise, the devastation will
continue and become even more widespread.

The government is urgently needs to launch a more aggressive
campaign to encourage people to improve their environmental and
personal hygiene, one of the simplest and most effective way of
curbing the outbreak.

Surya Dharma Salim, 26, works for a property firm on Jl. Jend.
Sudirman. He lives in Pluit, North Jakarta:

We lack information about the necessary precautionary measures
to contain bird flu as the government's public information
campaigns to date have been deficient. There was a strong
impression that the government was trying to be defensive when
the first case became public.

I think the outbreak is very alarming and that the government
needs to be more serious about inform the public about what
people need to do.

Personally, I don't know what to do. The only thing I know to
do is to stop eating chicken.

-- The Jakarta Post