Sustained sustenance

Sustained sustenance

Starvation is shameful in a modern civilized society. When food
is wasted and rations left to rot in some parts of the country,
it is painful to learn that hundreds of thousands of people could
be deprived of nourishment in East Nusa Tenggara.

Reports from the province suggest that due to a drought its
people are facing an extreme scarcity of food and water. Farmers
who would have been harvesting their second crop have seen rice
and corn fields dry up. Between 10 to 12 of the province's 18
regencies are reportedly experiencing crop failure.

Certain isolated districts are even more vulnerable if
assistance is required in the coming weeks due to their remote
locations and the complexities of transporting tons of rice in a
short time.

While starvation has not set in, the warning signs are clear
enough, that lethargy could cost lives.

The silver lining is that Jakarta was promptly made aware of
the threat of famine. The situation has been prioritized by the
government, in many respects, due to media coverage of it.

It would be shameful if, even after an early warning, we were
to learn eight weeks from now that the people of East Nusa
Tenggara were scrounging for sustenance.

While we appreciate the attention this issue has been accorded
in Cabinet meetings over the past few days, the rather dismissive
tones of certain local and high-ranking officials at the Office
of the Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare have come as
something of a disappointment.

Though their words may have been aimed at alleviating panic,
they seem more belittling than reassuring.

"There's nothing to worry about. It's being taken care of,"
was one reported remark. "There's always (emergency) stocks at
the provincial level ... which can easily be distributed.
Tomorrow you can rest assured that the people there are well
fed".

This coming from an official who a week after the tsunami
disaster confidently proclaimed that no one was going hungry in
Aceh.

The 50 tons of rice reserves in the province are intended for
short-term relief after a natural disaster, and are insufficient
to counter the famine that East Nusa Tenggara is facing.

It may be a case of perceiving whether a glass is half-full or
half-empty, as that official once responded to criticism over the
handling of Aceh relief.

But it is another thing, we fear, to perceive the glass as
full while in fact it is completely empty.

We strongly urge officials to show greater empathy for the
people who have conveyed that they are "suffering". From the
gluttonous chambers of government the dispatch of rice may seem
like regular business -- instructions on a piece of paper that
needs to be signed, and orders for subordinates to be carried
out. But to the "hungry" thousands, it is their sole lifeline.

For the longer term, the local government -- with vested
powers from regional autonomy -- should work together with
officials in Jakarta to take preventative measures.

Some areas of the province are known to be naturally more
arid. Irrigation systems, the more careful selection of crops and
the introduction of staples other than rice in locals' diets
should also be considered. Technology and human ingenuity have
reached a stage where farmers, even in unforgiving climates, are
less dependent on seasonal changes.

To look up at the sky and hope for the best -- or to assume
that the dry season will end according to the calendar -- is to
put communities at jeopardy. Faith in divine kindness must be
complemented with human endeavor.

The same goes for other notoriously arid farming areas across
the country.

It is the duty of the central government and local
administrations to introduce these initiatives. To teach farmers
better ways to produce more reliable crops. To provide incentives
and the necessary infrastructure to sustain productive yields.

Real support for our farmers would be one of the most
necessary and beneficial long-term investments that this country
could make. Not only would the welfare of farmers -- usually
among the nation's poorest people -- be improved, but the
quantity of agricultural crops gathered would increase, ensuring
food security.

Prevention was one of the key political targets set by the New
Order government. It should also be so for this administration.
This country should not talk about modernization or
industrialization if it cannot ensure that there is enough food
to go around.

There is nothing more frightening than a mob of hungry people.
There is nothing more calming than a public satiated and
satisfied.