Unemployed demand attention

BANDAR LAMPUNG, Lampung: A group of unemployed people founded on Monday a consortium to push both the local and central governments to pay them more attention.

Activists of the Lampung Consortium of the Unemployed distributed leaflets to motorists and bystanders who came to watch the declaration of the consortium at the Pertiwi Building. The leaflets read, "Unite unemployed people of Lampung."

The consortium compared the administrations of President Megawati Soekarnoputri and Lampung Governor Oemarsono to the New Order regime of president Soeharto, for failing to take action to solve unemployment and poverty.

They said the current administrations lacked a conscience, shown by its lifting of subsidies for the poor, and the hikes in fuel prices, electricity and telephone rates, transportation fares and the prices of other basic commodities.

In a statement, the consortium demanded the government provide each unemployed person Rp 500,000 (about US$55) a month until they find a job. -- Antara