Lombok villagers get cash payments for nothing
Panca Nugraha, The Jakarta Post, Mataram
Villagers in West Nusa Tenggara have been receiving assurances from an Islamic foundation that it will provide them with individual payouts of Rp 400,000 per month without expecting anything in return.
People at Darek village in Praya Barat Daya, Central Lombok, are busy thinking about what to spend the money on once they begin receiving the monthly allowances, which will last for at least five years, beginning this April.
The pledges have come from the Foundation for Islamic Ahli Sunnah Wal Jamaah Mission (Yamisa), whose central headquarters is based in Jakarta.
Mohammad Nur, chairman of Yamisa's Mataram branch, said that the money is from a fund comprised of the inheritances of the Indonesia's past monarchs: Sriwijaya, Blambangan, Majapahit, Mataram, Bali, Kediri, and Padjajaran.
He claimed that the wealth, seized by past colonial forces, has been under direct control of his foundation, and that it would soon be distributed to Indonesian people.
Part of the money, he added, also came from accounts in Swiss banks that had been saved by Indonesia's first president, the late Sukarno.
Some Rp 60 trillion of the funds, currently deposited in the BNI, BCA and BII banks, have been allocated for the people of Lombok, Nur added.
"Yamisa will distribute fairly to all people, except for high- ranking civil servants, and police or military officers."
Under the plan, regency administrators are also supposed to get a share, with the amount of money adjusted to a ratio based on the size of the population, and the size of regions.
For Lombok's government, the share will be Rp 2.5 billion per three months.
"We are not selling promises or dreams -- this money belongs to the Indonesian people, and it will be distributed to all, free of any personal agenda," YAMISA top chairman Abdurahman said during a ceremony on Saturday for the installation of hundreds of his foundation members in Lombok.
At least 12 branch offices, including one in the West Nusa Tenggara capital of Mataram, have been established across the island, with a total of 300 executives and members.
Such promises did not interest local administrations. Mataram Mayor Mohammad Ruslan, for one, has even banned the foundation from operating within his territory.
"I suggest villagers not be so swiftly lulled by these promises," he said.
It remains unclear whether the ban will be effective or not.
Lalu Junaidi, head of the city's Information and Communications Bureau, told The Jakarta Post that the ban was imposed due to Yamisa's failure to coordinate with government at the local level.
"People already under economic pressure will quickly believe in the promises ... but if they are not fulfilled, they could start rioting," he said.
Nur admitted that Yamisa does not need to cooperate with local governments or legislative councils in the distribution of the funds, as it is the policy of the foundation's central headquarters in Jakarta.
He argued that it is sufficient that only President Megawati Soekarnoputri and Minister of Home Affairs Hari Sabarno, along with military and police commanders, know about the existence of the foundation.
Ironically, despite claiming to control the hidden treasure, Yamisa requires candidates to pay Rp 250,000 each to serve as executives. In a return, they will respectively get Rp 16 million for their monthly salary.
For members, the foundation charges a Rp 15,000 enrollment fee in order to receive Rp 5 million each every month.
"Heads of Yamisa branches will be paid Rp 500 million per month," Nur said.
Many local officials and villagers said they do not want to be cheated by such strange promises, and called on authorities to take stern actions against Yamisa leaders should their claims found to be fraudulent.
"If it turns out to be only lies, the police must move to arrest them," Lalu Rusmadi, one villager from Darek, told the Post.