Mothers first to protest legislators' huge raise

Tantri Yuliandini, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

Experts and observers have strongly criticized members of the House of Representatives (DPR) for raising their monthly allowances by Rp 10 million, but it was dozens of mothers from across Greater Jakarta who first took to the streets to protest the decision.

Carrying forks, spoons, plates, metal rice steamers and rice containers, more than 50 women from across Jakarta gathered in front of the DPR compound on Friday to protest the increase in legislators's operational allowances and budget allocations for the presidential office.

"I see all the legislators are merry, their allowances have been increased for Lebaran. While poor people suffer and hunger reigns. But legislators turn their faces away, they don't care," the women sang to the tune of Ibu Sud's famous song Ibu Pertiwi.

The women are part of kampong (village) discussion groups regularly organized by women's rights group Women's Solidarity for Human Rights of the Jabotabek Community (SP Jabotabek).

The women -- who came from Duri Kepa in West Jakarta, Tanjung Priok in North Jakarta, and Bojong Gede in Bogor -- charged that the government had lied to them regarding the fuel price increase.

They said that while saying that the scrapping of fuel subsidy was the only way for the government to cut the budget deficit, the House and government had then increased spending on themselves.

Uproar over the additional Rp 10 million (about US$1,000) for "operational allowances" that legislators had given themselves last week had not died down when the news came that the government was seeking to increase the presidential office's spending by 57 percent in the 2006 state budget draft.

The moves have been roundly criticized by observers and experts, but Friday's rally was the first street protest over the operational allowance and planned spending increases.

"The people are deliberately being made to bear the burden!" Sutriyah from Duri Kepa in Grogol, West Jakarta, shouted as she read the group's statement.

They also charged that the government's cash assistance scheme for poor households had done nothing but heighten conflict among communities.

Rohima, wife of a community leader in Bojong Gede, said that she had witnessed a community torn by envy because of the Rp 100,000 monthly cash assistance.

"The poor deserve the money, but the rich also want a portion, and they accuse community leaders of playing favoritism," the mother of three said, explaining that while the amount of money was not worth very much, it had succeeded in breaking up her community.

Rohima said that the government would do better to stop the cash assistance and allocate the money towards free education and better health services for the poor.

"That much money isn't even enough to buy fuel for boiling ketupat (rhombus-shaped rice cakes in plaited coconut leaves) for Idul Fitri," another woman from Tanjung Priok cut in.

The women had hoped to meet members of the House's Budget Committee who recently approved the basic assumptions for the 2006 state budget.

They were met by House members from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) faction, Permadi and Eva Kusuma Sundari, who promised to bring their demands to the plenary meeting that was in session.

"I promise you we will fight for the reevaluation of the proposed 2006 state budget, and if the House doesn't recall the Rp 10 million additional allowance, I will give it all to my constituents," Permadi said.