`They don't care about the poor'

`They don't care about the poor'

Governor Sutiyoso was due to present the 2003 City Budget,
amounting to Rp 11 trillion, on Tuesday night. However, the
allocation of the funds has sparked controversy. Among them is
the allocation of Rp 135 billion for City Public Order officers,
while the governor is to get Rp 90 million for morning coffee for
a year. The Jakarta Post interviewed some people on the street
about the issue:

Mulyono, a mobile vendor who has been selling fresh fruit
salad in Salemba, Central Jakarta for 10 years. He lives in
Matraman, East Jakarta. His wife and son live in Central Java.

I think the budget allocation is normal because the city
administration and the governor can do what they want.

He should have known that the budget comes from the people,
including the poor. But I'm sure those in lucrative positions
like him will easily forget the people who used to support him.

If he once promised to help the poor city residents, it would
be better to forget it. The leaders now are just liars who always
talk and make promises. They don't care about the poor.

I will not blame Governor Sutiyoso for his deeds because he
does not know what it is like to live in poverty like us.

But the Rp 90 million budget for his morning coffee this year
is beyond belief. It doesn't make any sense at all. For the poor
Rp 250,000 a day just for morning coffee is simply fantastic
because we usually get between Rp 30,000 and Rp 50,000 a day,
through unbearable hardship sometimes.

However, the budget would be quite understandable for the
well-off because they are part of the society who always spend
their money lavishly.

Personally, I could not understand the idea of the city
government budget proposal this year.

Parti, 52, a vendor selling traditional herbal drinks in the
House of Representative's building in Central Jakarta. She has
been faithful to this profession for more that 30 years and lives
in Bekasi with her husband and five children:

Frankly I don't know anything related to the city
administration here. I'm just an uneducated person who never went
to school.

But if it is true, then I don't think I will agree with that
because it will just hurt the hearts of the poor people if they
find out about it.

But, I'm afraid to say that whatever I'm saying it would be
useless. We all know that the government never listens to the
people's voices. It will result in nothing.

So, I guess it would be better to think of our own life, of
how to survive. Otherwise, we won't live longer because we cannot
eat. Worse, the government will never help us get by, right?

We have to think that the poor people are always ignored and
left miserable. So why should we care about the government who
never cares about us?

The most important thing for me is how to support my
children's education because I never had an education.

Ramo, 33, a newspaper boy in Kampung Melayu bus station, East
Jakarta. He lives on Jl. Basuki Rachmat, East Jakarta with his
wife:

What coffee! I cannot imagine what kind of coffee the governor
will drink with that much money.

I normally drink three glasses of coffee a day which costs me
only Rp 3,000 a day. So, I will only spend around Rp 1 million
for my coffee per year. Worse still, my annual budget is only
equal to Sutiyoso's morning coffee allowance for four or five
consecutive days.

I don't dare imagine that amount of money. I never touched
that much money. It would be better for him to allocate the
budget to the poor like me. The millions could be used for
developing businesses for the poor. Or, that can be used for the
street vendor relocation so as not to taint the city order.

I'm afraid that the public order officer will be harsher in
evicting us later this year with their budget. They will have
more spirit to beat us, I guess.

Amsi, 60, a sidewalk vendor selling key holders in Jatinegara
market in East Jakarta. He lives nearby with his wife and three
children:

I'm afraid the public order officers will be more active in
raiding us.

Thanks for the information. At least the allocation of the
city budget proposal gives us warning of a serious eviction.

So, I have to be more watchful to see them coming here.

Personally I disagree with the kind of allocation. It means
that the City Public Order officers are financially supported to
raid us more severely.

Worse, it means that the poor people are not allowed to make a
living in the city.

They are freaks, I think.

-- Leo Wahyudi S