Severe malnutrition

The recent cases of marasmus kwarsiorkor (severe malnutrition) in the rice-exporting province of West Nusa Tenggara has stunned everybody in the country, (The Jakarta Post, May 27). Such cases are not the monopoly of this province, as similar problems have been detected in East Nusa Tenggara, though there were no fatalities.

More and more cases are being found in almost every province, with the latest being found in the western and eastern-most provinces of Aceh and Papua, where toddlers have died of severe malnutrition (Post, June 13).

This would not have happened if communication between regional governments and the central government, and between legislators and their constituents, was more effective. The central government (minister of health) has blamed local governments for failing to extend enough state funds to the poor, as regional autonomy has left the central government no longer able to supervise and direct the allocation of the funds (Post, June 7).

Meanwhile, members of the House of Representatives, who should be representing their constituents, seem to be losing contact, or quite probably never established contact in the first place with the people they are supposed to represent. So what have they been doing since their inauguration in September last year? Well, they recently demanded a raise of Rp 15 million over the Rp 25 million they already take home each month not to mention bonuses (Rakyat Merdeka, June 6).

What should be done now is not to find culprits but rather focusing on eliminating malnutrition from this resource-rich country. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's idea of reviving the old integrated health services posts and other social welfare programs needs our support. Establishing a welfare society is one of the items on his Cabinet's agenda.

M. RUSDI Jakarta