The government program to provide compensation for increased fuel prices has encountered various problems in a number of regions, ranging from discrepancies in data, to protests and rejection.
Several district heads in Bandung, West Java, on Wednesday returned the fuel compensation cards (being distributed by state mail company PT Pos Indonesia) because the data on eligible fund recipients did not match 2005 data on poor families from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS).
Lengkong district head Lusi Susilayani said many of those who were classified 'poor' by the BPS (and eligible for compensation) turned out to be wealthy families.
Many of the addresses for compensation recipients were also incorrect, she said.
"A family who live in Turangga subdistrict, for example, are stated as living in Cijagra on the card. We don't want to go ahead with this (distribute the funds) because we are afraid if we make the wrong decision it could lead to jealousy and social unrest," Lusi said.
A similar rejection occurred in Cibeunying Kidul district, where district head Denny Sani told PT Pos employees to return the cards because the card data had not been verified.
"This data is old data. We have to check it," Denny said, adding that cards should have been printed after a verification had been made.
Another BPS error which is feared to have caused further problems is that data from Bandung was collected when the city comprised 26 districts, while now it has 30.
Similar discrepancies have sparked confusion in other cities like Cirebon, Karawang and Purwakarta, where local authorities turned down the compensation program which they feared may cause horizontal conflicts.
In Kendari, Southeast Sulawesi, at least 200 becak (three-wheeled pedicab) drivers and vagrants marched to the city's provincial legislature building to voice their protest against the compensation program.
The distribution of funds would not help to solve the poverty problem, they said. The protesters demanded the government replace the program with alternative programs like health insurance and cheaper education.
"We call on councillors to convey our requests to the central government," rally coordinator Susi said.
In Palembang, South Sumatra, Sjamsul Rizal of Sriwijaya University said the program was not educative and leaned toward regarding the population as stupid.
The program is not appropriate because it would not stimulate these people to act innovatively, Sjamsul said.
He urged to the government to search for alternatives to the compensation program which, he said, was ineffective, manipulative and unproductive.
"The government has failed ... as this program will only cause Indonesians to become more lazy," he said.
In Demak, Central Java, Mojo village head Wasiran in Wonosalam district said the program would destroy villagers' morals.
"Local villagers who used to work hand-in-hand with others to develop the village became lazy after the first disbursement of compensation funds in 2005," Wasiran said.
"The program is not educative," he said.
Wasiran said he knew all to well the characteristics of his fellow villagers.
Besides potentially leading to social unrest, taking money without effort would only make villagers lazier, he said.
