Govt send aid to Papua as famine kills 55
Govt send aid to Papua as famine kills 55
The Jakarta Post, Jayapura/Jakarta
Stunned by reports of famine in a remote Papua district that has
left 55 people dead, the government dispatched a military cargo
plane on Friday night to carry food aid to the stricken area.
The effort came amid criticism from Papuan leaders that the
central and regional governments had neglected their own people,
leading to the disaster.
The military aircraft was carrying basic necessities needed by
starving Papuans living in Yahukimo regency, such as instant
noodles, baby food and medicines, said Rizal Mallarangeng, an
aide to the Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare, Aburizal
Bakrie.
Other government officials vowed earlier in the day to lend a
hand to Papuans suffering from lack of food, with Minister of
Social Affairs Bachtiar Chamsyah promising to send rice to the
famine-affected areas while Minister of Health Siti Fadilah
Supari vowed to send two teams of doctors.
The statement came after President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono
ordered the officials to take concerted measures to alleviate the
suffering in Papua.
"We must save them first," said the President, who reportedly
first head about the famine on Thursday from the news ticker on a
local television station.
Before attending a function -- ironically celebrating food
security -- at the State Palace on Thursday, the President
ordered Aburizal to investigate the famine and tackle the
problem. He also demanded accountability from Papuan leaders and
vowed that once he found who was responsible, heads would roll.
The President admitted to experiencing mixed feelings as he
presented food security awards to groups of people during the
function, while at the same time Papuans were starving to death.
News of the famine became public after Yahukimo Regent Ones
Pahabol told the media that at least 55 people had died from
malnutrition and 112 others had fallen sick from related
illnesses since November in Yahukimo. The failure of the sweet
potato crop was to blame. The regency has a population of 55,000
people, who are currently having to do without their staple
foodstuff, sweet potatoes.
The mountainous regency was originally part of Jayawijaya
regency before it was hived off as a separate entity, and is
located some 800 kilometers from Jayapura, the Papua capital. It
can only be reached by plane.
Separately, a religious leader condemned the government for
ignoring the people of people. The Rev. Socrates Sofyan Yoman
said that development in Papua had been solely focused on
projects and that the people in general had been neglected. The
projects only benefited government officials and not the
people, said Sofyan, the chairman of the Injili Church Synod in
Papua. He said the government should have sought the
participation of the churches in Papuan development as they were
part of Papuan society and understood the people's needs.
Papua opposition figure Fadel Al Hamid said the famine showed
that the government had failed to properly implement regional
autonomy in Indonesia's easternmost province. "The funds
transferred as part of regional autonomy are huge, but still
there is famine," said Fadel, the secretary of the Papuan Tribal
Council.
Fadel said that most of the autonomy funds had been looted by
the Papuan elite, and had failed to improve the lot of the
ordinary people. "This is ironic. Papua is rich in natural
resources and yet people still die of famine. It's like mice
dying of hunger inside a rice barn," said Fadel.
In Jakarta, legislators took turns to call on the government
to immediately take concrete and comprehensive action to prevent
such a tragedy occurring in other parts of the country.
House of Representatives Speaker Agung Laksono said the
government had failed to institute an early detection system to
prevent such disasters.
The Jakarta Post, Jayapura/Jakarta
Stunned by reports of famine in a remote Papua district that has
left 55 people dead, the government dispatched a military cargo
plane on Friday night to carry food aid to the stricken area.
The effort came amid criticism from Papuan leaders that the
central and regional governments had neglected their own people,
leading to the disaster.
The military aircraft was carrying basic necessities needed by
starving Papuans living in Yahukimo regency, such as instant
noodles, baby food and medicines, said Rizal Mallarangeng, an
aide to the Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare, Aburizal
Bakrie.
Other government officials vowed earlier in the day to lend a
hand to Papuans suffering from lack of food, with Minister of
Social Affairs Bachtiar Chamsyah promising to send rice to the
famine-affected areas while Minister of Health Siti Fadilah
Supari vowed to send two teams of doctors.
The statement came after President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono
ordered the officials to take concerted measures to alleviate the
suffering in Papua.
"We must save them first," said the President, who reportedly
first head about the famine on Thursday from the news ticker on a
local television station.
Before attending a function -- ironically celebrating food
security -- at the State Palace on Thursday, the President
ordered Aburizal to investigate the famine and tackle the
problem. He also demanded accountability from Papuan leaders and
vowed that once he found who was responsible, heads would roll.
The President admitted to experiencing mixed feelings as he
presented food security awards to groups of people during the
function, while at the same time Papuans were starving to death.
News of the famine became public after Yahukimo Regent Ones
Pahabol told the media that at least 55 people had died from
malnutrition and 112 others had fallen sick from related
illnesses since November in Yahukimo. The failure of the sweet
potato crop was to blame. The regency has a population of 55,000
people, who are currently having to do without their staple
foodstuff, sweet potatoes.
The mountainous regency was originally part of Jayawijaya
regency before it was hived off as a separate entity, and is
located some 800 kilometers from Jayapura, the Papua capital. It
can only be reached by plane.
Separately, a religious leader condemned the government for
ignoring the people of people. The Rev. Socrates Sofyan Yoman
said that development in Papua had been solely focused on
projects and that the people in general had been neglected. The
projects only benefited government officials and not the
people, said Sofyan, the chairman of the Injili Church Synod in
Papua. He said the government should have sought the
participation of the churches in Papuan development as they were
part of Papuan society and understood the people's needs.
Papua opposition figure Fadel Al Hamid said the famine showed
that the government had failed to properly implement regional
autonomy in Indonesia's easternmost province. "The funds
transferred as part of regional autonomy are huge, but still
there is famine," said Fadel, the secretary of the Papuan Tribal
Council.
Fadel said that most of the autonomy funds had been looted by
the Papuan elite, and had failed to improve the lot of the
ordinary people. "This is ironic. Papua is rich in natural
resources and yet people still die of famine. It's like mice
dying of hunger inside a rice barn," said Fadel.
In Jakarta, legislators took turns to call on the government
to immediately take concrete and comprehensive action to prevent
such a tragedy occurring in other parts of the country.
House of Representatives Speaker Agung Laksono said the
government had failed to institute an early detection system to
prevent such disasters.