Police kitchen serves up meals during election campaign

JAKARTA (JP): Police officers can find some solace from the heat and grime of rowdy rallies in a nutritious "homemade" meal during the campaign.

City Police Chief Maj. Gen. Hamami Nata has ordered the kitchen located inside the City Police's Directorate of Logistics to serve three meals a day free-of-charge to all officers working the beat and those on duty at headquarters during the campaign's duration.

Twenty personnel run the kitchen.

Chief of the directorate Col. Bambang Susetyo told The Jakarta Post last week the same meals were served up to all officers, including the city police chief himself.

"The quantity and quality of the meals are the same, regardless of whether they are privates or generals," Bambang said.

The kitchen was set up in November last year but its services were increased during the campaign.

Bambang said the program was part of a policy on increasing officers' welfare, as well as boosting their fitness and spirit at work.

Use of modern weaponry would be futile if the officers were too weak to use them, Bambang said.

"The kitchen prepares an average of 7,000 boxed meals a day during the campaign period, broken down into 1,500 boxes for breakfast, 3,000 for lunch and 2,500 for dinner."

The number of meals cooked daily was adjusted according to how many personnel were deployed.

Preparation of each box costs around Rp 1,500 (625 US cents), Bambang said.

"Preparing rations like this is very economical," he reasoned. "We would have paid at least Rp 3,500 per boxed meal at a warteg (cheap food stall). And it's more efficient for the soldiers as they don't have to find food on the street."

The budget for the service during the campaign was supported by the City Police Chief, outside of the regular budgetary allocation.

Capt. Sudarno, one of the kitchen supervisors, said around 150 kilograms of rice, 150 bunches of bananas, 600 fish, 50 kilograms of meat and 20 kilograms of red chilies were used for preparing the meals daily.

Sudarno said all the ingredients were purchased at the Kramat Jati market in East Jakarta.

He said officers often scolded kitchen personnel when meals were late.

Hundreds of officers from the headquarters, police precincts and the mobile brigade from Kelapa Dua, Depok, are on standby at the headquarters during the campaign.

Second Lt. Suhaima from the information department said the meals were very helpful.

"The food hardly ever comes late and they taste quite good too, what else could I ask for?" she asked.

An officer from the mobile brigade said he missed his wife's cooking, but had no problems with the meals.

"If I don't like the meal, I could always swap it with my friends," he said. He added that the kitchen sometimes offered leftovers from breakfast at lunch.

A police officer aid the food was adequate. "You know what, the meals taste more delicious because of the feeling of togetherness which I have when I eat them with my colleagues after an exhausting day." (cst)