'Is this country that poor?'

'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