'Is this country that poor?'

Malnutrition has surfaced in parts of the country, including in one of the nation's wealthiest cities, Jakarta. The Jakarta Post asked residents for their thoughts on the alarming number of malnutrition cases being reported in recent months.

Alvi Jane, 26, is a public relations officer. She lives in Kampung Rambutan area, East Jakarta:

I thought inadequate nutrition was the problem of African countries. Is Indonesia so poor that it can't guarantee its citizens' health?

If this is true then embezzlers are the ones to blame.

People have to pay taxes, school fees, high water and power tariffs and other fees, leaving no money for healthy food. The sad thing is, their money ends up in someone else's pocket.

I wish the government would provide free health services for the poor.

Laksmita Noviera, 35, is an information and advocacy officer at the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. She lives in the Senayan area, Central Jakarta:

It is tragic. While the news on malnutrition is making headlines, corruption cases, worth billions of rupiah, are also on the increase.

How come officials can get away with embezzling state funds while people living in poor provinces are starving?

Considering the huge scale of the problem, I think the central government should help provincial administrations tackle it.

--The Jakarta Post