Management of development funds

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