'Social welfare programs don't work'

'Social welfare programs don't work'

Over 8,400 children under five in Jakarta are suffering from
malnutrition. The figure represents 1 percent of a total of
923,000 children under five years old recorded by the Jakarta
Health Agency in the city. The Jakarta Post asked residents their
thoughts on the issue.

Cecep Rukendi, 27, is a civil servant at the Ministry of
Tourism. He lives with his wife in Ciputat, South Jakarta:

Malnutrition cannot be separated from poverty. The more poor
people we have in the country the more malnutrition cases we will
have.

Just look at the scavengers and beggars in the streets of
Jakarta, and you can imagine how many children are suffering from
malnutrition.

The government has dedicated huge amounts of funds for the
poor, both from the slashed subsidy for oil and from the state
budget. But I don't think the officials allocate the money
wisely.

Errol S. Siahaan, 27, works at a public relations company in
Jakarta. He lives with his parents in Depok:

I believe that malnutrition in Jakarta shows that the state
has failed to take care of its poor citizens as stipulated in the
Constitution. After 60 years of our declaration of independence,
the state still cannot fulfill its basic duty.

Given our abundant natural resources, it's a tragedy that we
can't feed our citizens even with basic food. Besides, where does
all the money we borrow from foreign countries go to?

I have often heard that the government has allocated funds and
cheap rice for the needy. But the malnutrition cases show that
the programs don't work. The programs just don't reach their
target. I think the government must prioritize and mobilize its
resources to reduce malnutrition.

-- The Jakarta Post