'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