Villagers run amok over cash assistance

Villagers run amok over cash assistance

Multa Fidrus, The Jakarta Post, Tangerang

When it was reported that the head of their subdistrict was
unavailable to meet with them, some 500 residents of several
villages in Tangerang, Banten ran amok, pelting his office with
rocks.

Eyewitnesses told The Jakarta Post that some 300 residents of
Waru, Kelapa and Pangkat villages, all in Tangerang, congregated
at around 9 a.m. on Tuesday at the Jayanti subdistrict office.
Around one hour later, some 200 people from Karya and Serada
villages arrived at the office.

They claimed that as poor people they were entitled to receive
the Rp 100,000 (US$10) monthly assistance from the government.

To offset the effects of the Oct. 1 fuel price increases, the
government has devised a scheme under which people in the low-
income bracket are eligible for cash assistance.

"The villagers wanted to see the subdistrict head to ask why
they were not included in the data on poor residents in their
respective villages," Sukwan, who lives near the subdistrict
office, told the Post.

The villagers, however, became agitated after they were told
that subdistrict head Suhabuddin was not in his office. They
shouted and hurled rocks and sticks at the office, shattering its
glass windows.

The villagers decided to call it quits only after dozens of
police officers arrived at the office.

Sain, a local neighborhood unit head, said that they were not
involved in a survey to collect data on poor residents from Aug.
15 to Sept. 15.

"Only one in 100 poor residents in my neighborhood unit
received a fuel compensation card," he said.

Meanwhile, Mariah, a resident of Pangkat village, said that
most low-income residents in her village did not receive cards.

"Relatives of village heads, community unit chiefs and
neighborhood unit chiefs received cards although they are not
poor," she said.

The incident took place just hours after residents of Kemuning
and Tamiang villages in Kresek district and Gintung village in
Sukadiri district ran amok on Monday evening over not receiving
the financial assistance.

The angry residents threw hard objects at their respective
village offices, pulled down signboards and damaged gates and
fences.

Iskandar Ismail, secretary of Sukadiri district admitted that
he had received complaints from many residents over the
disbursement of the cash assistance in the area.

"The Sukadiri district chief along with two representatives of
Gintung village has submitted additional data on poor residents
to the regental statistics office in Tigaraksa," he said.

Hundreds of residents of Klutuk and Kedaung villages in Kronjo
district also damaged subdistrict offices on Monday morning in
protest over the "unjust" disbursement process.

Separately, Kronjo district head Kusnadi said on Tuesday that
240 low-income residents in Klutuk village had received the
assistance. He said, however, the figure was only half of the
total poor residents in the village.