Management of development funds

From Media Indonesia

Under the program called Presidential Instruction on Development of Poor Villages, Ujungjaya village, Pandeglang regency, West Java, received a development fund of Rp 20 million. Half of this fund has been cashed and divided among three groups. Some problems have arisen in the distribution system.

* There are no set rules for identifying "poor" people, so the village authority made its own decision in classifying the groups. As a result, many poor people, failed to get their share.

* The plans submitted by the groups were not concrete, therefore distribution of the fund was made without considering what the real needs of the people were.

* Each recipient in every group received less cash than was stated and signed for on the receipt with an explanation that they had to pay for overhead charges like tax, transportation and administrative costs.

I am not entirely sure about the system, but it would be much to the people's benefit if the program was executed more openly.

Nobody knows for sure what happened to the other half of the fund, or how it was administered. The fact is that many of the poor people, particularly those who live near the forest, have yet to be involved in this poverty eradication program.

HERMAN FAUZI

Pandeglang, W. Java