MPR told to give funds to children

MPR told to give funds to children

JAKARTA: The National Commission for Child Protection proposed
on Saturday that the government allocate the Rp 6 billion in
leftover funds from the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR)
Annual Meeting for the interests of poor children.

Seto Mulyadi, the chairman of the commission, said that the
MPR should seriously consider the proposal because children
needed more attention from the state.

Moreover, such attention was recommended by the 1945
Constitution, he added.

The money could be used to provide scholarships for poor
children or to improve the welfare of children in troubled Aceh
province, who were forced to take refuge due to the ongoing war
there, said Seto.

Article 28 of the 1945 Constitution says that every child has
the right to be sustained and to be protected from any physical
abuse and discrimination.

Under Article 34, poor and neglected children must be taken
care of by the state.

The MPR Annual Session, was scheduled to be held from Aug. 1
to Aug. 10, but legislators decided to cut short the meeting to
end on Aug. 7.

The move saved more than Rp 6 billion of the Rp 20 billion
allocated for the session. The money went back to the state's
coffers. --Antara