Habibie orders development of moral safety net program

JAKARTA (JP): President B.J. Habibie ordered State Minister of Women's Affairs Tutty Alawiyah on Friday to develop a national "moral" safety net program to help overcome moral decadence during the ongoing economic crisis.

Speaking at the opening of the national forum on the Infant and Family Development Movement at the State Palace, the President said he was deeply concerned by prevalent looting, crimes and cruelty.

"In avoiding the nonphysical impacts (of the crisis), various efforts and programs need to be developed, such as one we call the Moral Safety Net (JPM)," said Habibie.

He said he instructed the women's affairs ministry to develop and socialize the program to empower mothers and their roles in the family.

The ministry was also asked to establish women's role bureaus at the provincial and district levels.

The President acknowledged the crisis made it difficult for mothers from low-income families to give proper attention to their children because they were forced out of the home to earn money to support their families.

Parents often are no longer able to provide nutritious food for their infants and many children can no longer continue their educations, he said.

"We are really facing a large problem with the rising number of babies suffering from retardation, both in their physical and intellectual growth," said Habibie.

In Purbalingga, Central Java, a pediatrician at Purbalingga General Hospital, H. Tamsu, said on Thursday that 190 infants were receiving treatment at community health centers for malnutrition, with dozens in critical condition,

A major problem in saving the lives of children at risk is that parents fear hospital costs, he said.

"Almost all parents refuse permission for their children to stay in hospitals, even though we tell them no costs are involved."

Tamsu said parents had resorted to selling more nutritional foodstuff from the social safety net program in order to buy rice. "There's nothing we can do."

The only solution is to reduce the price of basic needs, he said. Foodstuff from the social safety net program includes such nutritional food as milk, butter, sugar, eggs and biscuits.

Tamsu estimated malnutrition here would worsen because the Rp 10 million the government had allocated to address the problem had been spent.

Over the past year, 11 babies in West Sumatra have died of chronic and acute undernourishment in Padang, Padang Pariaman, Solok, Pasaman and Bukittinggi. (prb/45)