Poor Jakartans get aid from Malaysia

Poor Jakartans get aid from Malaysia

JAKARTA (JP): The Malaysian government on Tuesday donated
foodstuffs for 74,900 poor Jakartans in an expression of
solidarity between the neighboring countries.

The donation of 749,050 kilograms of rice, 11,580 bottles of
cooking oil and 10,000 kilograms of sugar was symbolically handed
over by Malaysian Ambassador Zainal Abidin to the city's five
mayors in a ceremony at City Hall.

The ceremony was also attended by State Minister of Food,
Drugs and Horticulture A.M. Saefuddin, Minister of Trade and
Industry Rahardi Ramelan and Governor Sutiyoso.

In a short speech, Ambassador Abidin said that, "the
government and people of Malaysia are sympathetic to our brothers
and sisters in Indonesia who are being affected by the present
economic crisis."

The donated goods will provide 10 kilograms of rice, a quarter
of a bottle of cooking oil and a quarter of a kilogram of sugar
to each of the 74,900 recipients.

According to Sutiyoso, the city administration had often
received donated foodstuffs since the current economic crisis hit
the country.

"But the present donation (from the Malaysian government) is
special to Jakartans because it is given during the Muslim
fasting month of Ramadhan," the governor added.

The assistant city secretary of Social Welfare Affairs, Zaenal
Arifin, said that the foodstuffs would be distributed to people
living in slum areas throughout the city. (ind)