Habibie orders development of moral safety net program
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)