Party launches campaign against poverty, malnutrition

Former president Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid's daughter Zannuba Arifah Chafsoh reads out a statement to mark the declaration of an Anti-Poverty Movement and the establishment of Task Force Against Malnutrition in a ceremony held at Donohudan Haj Dormitory, Surakarta, Central Java.

The national movement was officially launched on Sunday by the National Awakening Party (PKB), in which Chafsoh -- better known as Yenni, serves as a deputy secretary general.

Yenni said the task force, which she herself leads, will prepare thousands of volunteers to help malnourished children across the country.

"PKB executives at the regency level will be tasked with collecting data on the number of malnutrition cases from villages in their regions. We will issue an official decree requiring them to carry out this humanitarian mission," she said.

She said the task force will try to advocate for victims of malnutrition scattered around the country, while the PKB central board will open a special center to raise donations for them.

"Apart from legislative channels, the party's central board will seek alternative funds for the victims because they badly need immediate handling," she added.

Yenni blamed the increase in malnutrition cases on the slow response by the central government, particularly the health and social affairs ministries.

Ineffective efforts by local administrations in tackling the problem was also to blame, she added.

Through the movement, Yenni said, the PKB will also demand that the government enact a policy aimed at pushing for the fortification of certain processed foodstuffs.

"The government must control the standards of protein and vitamins in processed foods, so it is healthy for public consumption," she said, adding that the party will forge an alliance with flour producers such as PT Bogasari. --JP/Blontank Poer