Sri Sultan sets helping the poor at top of agenda

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)