New scheme for poverty alleviation introduced
JAKARTA (JP): Twenty subdistricts in the capital will receive a total of Rp 54 billion (US$5.6 million) in funding for poverty alleviation and subdistrict development programs this year, an official said over the weekend.
Secretary to the City Development Planning Board, Rohana Manggala, said the funds would be disbursed once people submitted program proposals, which is a new approach to the community-based development program.
"We want to intensify the peoples' participation in the program to avoid past mistakes. So, I call on the people of each selected subdistrict to submit their programs," Rohana said.
"People will be involved in the decision-making process to benefit from the program, such as for the improvement of the sanitation system in their neighborhood," she added.
The selected subdistricts in West Jakarta are Cengkareng Barat, Kedaung Kali Angke, Pegadungan, Palmerah, and Angke, while in East Jakarta the subdistricts chosen are Bidara Cina, Bali Mester, Cipinang, Kampung Tengah and Cililitan.
Mampang Prapatan, Cilandak Timur, Cilandak Barat, Cikoko, and Karet Kuningan are the selected subdistricts of South Jakarta, while Pademangan Barat, Rorotan, Sukapura, Sunter Jaya and Kebon Bawang from North Jakarta will be involved.
Tanah Tinggi, Kemayoran, Petojo Utara, Kampung Rawa and Menteng subdistricts in Central Jakarta are also included in the program.
Rohana said the funding would be distributed directly to the public through a private bank. Each subdistrict will receive Rp 2 billion, excluding the separate fees for local authorities.
"We are still formulating the technical procedures of the program before it can be offered to the public," she said.
The official said that selection of the subdistricts was based on data from the Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS). Data included demographic information such as the number of households whose children had dropped out of schools.
Separately, Wardah Hafidz of the Urban Poor Consortium (UPC), a non-government organization concerned with the living conditions of the city's poor, said she was pessimistic that funding would reach the eligible individuals or groups, citing the rampant corruption practices among officials at subdistrict administration offices.
"In the previous programs (such as the Social Security Network, JPS), many officials (of subdistrict administration offices) made up the proposals, which were not based on the needs of their communities.
"Therefore, there must be a close monitoring mechanism on the implementation of the program in the future," she said.
"Last year, such funds were distributed through sectoral projects, coordinated by separate city agencies, which made it difficult to monitor the progress of each community group," she said.
About 15 subdistricts in the capital received a total of Rp 63.4 billion last year as part of an integrated project to reduce poverty and develop slum areas.
The funds, which were allocated according to the differing needs of the subdistricts, will be continued this year.
Rohana assured that none of the subdistricts would receive more than one grant from the various financial programs.
The administration recorded that there were 977,400 people living in poverty in the capital in 1999, while a figure for last year will not be available until results of the 2000 National Census are finalized. (07)