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.