By Andi Abdussalam
Jakarta, May 18 (ANTARA) - While millions of poor families across the country are waiting for direct cash assistance (BLT), many quarters have raised objections to the government's program, saying it could breed the recipients' begging mentality.
Around 19.1 million poor families throughout Indonesia will receive a cash assistance of Rp100,000 each plus cooking oil and sugar packages per month in compensation for the increased price of goods following the government's decision to raise domestic fuel oil prices.
For its BLT program, the government has earmarked Rp41.1 trillion for distribution to the poor beginning in June 2008. The would-be recipients have now begun receiving BLT cards.
"The cards for first stage recipients in ten cities have been distributed. We hope all poor families in the ten cities would have received them on May 21, 2008," Secretary General of the Ministry of Social Affairs Chazali H Situmorang said this week.
Though millions of people are badly in need of the assistance, some quarters have voiced criticism against the government's program.
"We reject the BLT program and other assistance of its kind because it does not solve the essence of problems being faced by the people," Agustinus Edy Kristianto, director of the publication and education affairs of the Indonesian Legal Aid Institute (YLBH), said.
He said that the distribution of BLT and other such assistance like the social safety net (JPS) often missed its target and is prone to misappropriation.
The YLBH executive also criticized the government's plan to raise fuel oil prices, saying the policy constituted a package leading Indonesia to economic liberalism.
"Reducing subsidy is in line with the policy of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) which advocates the market mechanism," Kristianto said.
Rejection of the government's program also came from at least 26 villages in Blitar district, East Java. "The BLT assistance will adversely breed the people to become beggars," Abdul Chamim, chief of Karanggayam village, Srengat subdistrict, said.
Chamim, coordinator of the village heads who rejected the assistance scheme in Blitar, said he objected to the government's plan because it would only trigger conflicts among villagers and create lazy people who were actually expected to be creative in how to get rid themselves of poverty.
"It would be better for the government to cancel the plan and replace it with a program on people empowerment, on health and education, or on a labor-intensive program," Chamim said after a meeting with a number of members of villagers' board of representatives.
Instead of receiving direct cash assistance, the people would prefer to have a job. Therefore, the people want the government to open more job opportunities.
"Many villagers in various regions voiced their aspirations. They said the value of the BLT was too small. They wanted the government to offer more job opportunities instead," Eka Komariah, member of the Regional Representatives Council (DPD), told an interactive discussion on fuel oil price hikes and the effectiveness of the BLT.
Besides, the distribution of the BLT could also create envy and trigger a new conflict in society. According to Tjahjo Kumolo, chairman of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP) faction in the House of Representatives (DPR), the direct cash assistance could not be provided equitably so that it would create social envy.
He said that the BLT was to be distributed to the poor based on data collected in 2005. "This would create social envy because it does not cover all poor families," he added.
West Java's Karawang District Head Dadang S. Muchtar said the distribution of a BLT in the past had always created a conflict in society. "This year BLT will undoubtedly create fresh social envy and trigger the outbreak of a social conflict," he said.
He said the government's data on poor families were often inaccurate. People who felt they were poor but gained no assistance would protest.
Therefore, the Karawang district head suggested that the BLT be provided in the form of infrastructure development that would facilitate the people's economic activities.
The same aspirations were also voiced by hundreds of village heads in West Java's Cirebon district. They objected to the BLT, saying it had always served as a trigger of social unrests.
The village heads expressed objections during a training program at Cirebon's Apita Hotel last week. They said they would welcome it if the BLT was changed into a labor-intensive program for villagers.
Momon Sayaman, one of the village heads, said it would be better for the government to use the BLT for developing infrastructure facilities and creating jobs for the local people.
In spite of the objections from many sides, millions of poor families are now still waiting for the assistance as the government has begun distributing BLT cards to the would-be recipients.
Secretary General of the Ministry of Social Affairs Chazali H Situmorang said that for 2008 the assistance would be distributed in two stages.
In the first stage, the assistance for three months will be distributed in June and in the second stage, the assistance for four months will be provided in September.
In the meantime, military and police officers are ready to secure the distribution of the direct cash assistance to 19.1 million poor families.
"The distribution of the BLT is actually the responsibility of regional governments but security officers are ready to help and maintain security," Deputy Police Chief Insp. Gen. Makbul Padmanegara said.
The same thing was also voiced by Indonesian Defense Forces (TNI) Commander General Djoko Santoso. He said that TNI personnel were ready to guard the BLT distribution.
"We will assist police in securing the distribution of the cash assistance," he said. (T.A014/A/HNG/A/S012) (T.A014/A/A014/A/S012) 18-05-2008 15:07:43
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