Lion's seeks govt cooperation
Lion's seeks govt cooperation
The Jakarta Post , Jakarta
The government should embrace social organizations and work
together in managing the chronic problems in society, says a
Lion's club governor.
Newly appointed governor of Lion's Club Indonesia District
307-B Charles Ong Saerang said on the sidelines of the district's
first cabinet meeting on Friday that the government could use the
organization's wide network to implement social programs.
"In Taiwan, the new governor (of a Lion's Club district) was
greeted by the president, while here, only my driver came to pick
me up at the airport," said Saerang jokingly. "Actually, we
provide a lot of assistance for the government's programs."
The 2004-2005 cabinet of Lion's club district 307-B plans to
focus on raising awareness of diabetes.
"Diabetes in Indonesia is on the rise due to our changing
lifestyles," said Saerang. The governor, who is also the director
of jamu (herbal medicine) producer PT Nyonya Meneer, cited the
consumption of too much sugar and lack of exercise as two causes
of diabetes.
Data from 2003 on the number of people with diabetes across
the archipelago varied between 2.5 percent of the population, or
5.5 million people, as reported by the Indonesian Association of
Endocrinologists (Perkeni), and 6 percent of the population (13
million, reported by the Indonesian Diabetes Association
(Persadia).
The district plans to distribute brochures and hold free eye
checkups on World Diabetes Day, which falls on Nov. 14.
"We will work with Lion's Clubs in Australia and Malaysia for
this project," said Saerang, who replaced former Lion's Club
governor Anton Hadiardja.
The Lion's Club International was founded in 1917 in the
United States and currently has 1.4 million members throughout
193 countries.
The clubs in Indonesia are divided into two districts: 307-A
and 307-B, with the first comprising of clubs in Sumatra and half
of Jakarta and the latter in the other half of Jakarta, Java,
Bali, Kalimantan and Sulawesi. There are 78 clubs and 2,142
members in district 307-B.
Continuing last year's program on cataract eradication, the
district will also offer free surgery for some 1,000 patients
from poor families.
Other programs include reconstructive surgery for harelips and
a program for street children. The latter will be conducted in
cooperation with Lion's Clubs in the Netherlands.
Later in the evening, the Lion's Club Indonesia made State
Minister of the Environment Nabiel Makarim and State Minister of
Women's Empowerment Sri Redjeki Soemaryoto its honorary members.