Sri Sultan sets helping the poor at top of agenda

YOGYAKARTA (JP): New Yogyakarta Governor Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono X set to work on Monday with his top priority being finding ways to help the poor.

Sri Sultan said the number of poor people had increased to at least 243,449 according to the current definition of those unable to meet basic needs.

In November last year it was reported that Yogyakarta had 303,800 poor people, or 10 percent of its population, entitled to receive presidential funds for the poor.

At the time Mubyarto, assistant to the State Minister of National Development Planning in charge of presidential funds for the poor, put Yogyakarta in one of seven provinces where poverty alleviation programs should be concentrated.

On Monday Sri Sultan said: "We will immediately carry out concrete steps to help those whose lives are made more difficult in this crisis," he said, adding that the figure would likely increase in the months to come.

The sultan said a day before his installment that he planned to set up a sort of crisis center to devise programs for the poor.

"After studying (policies), there are many local programs which must be revised and oriented to the creation of as many jobs as possible," Sri Sultan said. The revision would lead to Yogyakarta's 73 districts becoming new centers of economic activity, he said.

The planned measures, he said, would be the focusing of budgets to labor intensive projects, similar to the many projects now being held across the country.

But learning from reports of failure or lack of efficiency in other areas, he said, "the Yogyakarta administration will draw up labor-intensive projects which the residents can still enjoy after its completion."

He gave as an example the cultivation of land whose crops would be enjoyed by residents.

Sri Sultan said the planned projects would involve coordination with related agencies. Road-building projects, for example, "will be really seriously considered in light of their necessity," for instance given the link to the agricultural sector.

He said the administration would spend Rp 268.02 billion (US$25.8 million) from the state and provincial budgets, and also from foreign aid amounting to Rp 216 billion.

Maumere

In Sikka regency in East Nusa Tenggara, a social worker said three villages needed particular attention: Paga village, about 45 kilometers west of the town of Maumere, Nangahale, around 35 km east of Maumere and Wuring in Alok district in Maumere.

Yohanes Fernandez, a member of Caritas, which focuses on the nutrition of pregnant women and infants, said he feared government efforts to improve nutrition in the area would fail. "Staff are not given enough knowledge about nutrition," Yohanes said.

The latest published maternity mortality rate in East Nusa Tenggara is 911 per 100,000 births. Undernutrition is considered one of the major contributing causes.

Yohanes said Caritas (Tel: 0382 22413) would work with any party interested in helping improve locals' knowledge of nutrition. (44/yac/anr)