Yemris Fointuna, Kupang – An activist and a councillor have lambasted the East Nusa Tenggara government, saying it did nothing to address widespread malnutrition that has contributed to the deaths of 22 children over the past six months.
Executive director of the Public Initiative Development Centre Lery Mbuik said the province's 2008 budget paid more attention to development projects than to serious social problems in the education and health sectors.
"The 2008 budget pays less attention to human rights, including for women and children," she told The Jakarta Post in Jakarta on Saturday.
She cited as examples a Rp 15 billion (US$1.6 million) ongoing rehabilitation project of the Kupan municipality governor's official residence and a Rp 2 billion allocation for a project to prevent malnutrition.
"If the malnutrition fund was distributed to the 512,407 toddlers suffering from malnutrition in the province, they would receive Rp 4,000 ($42 US cents) each. Is that fair and wise?," she said.
Certain provincial offices have spent billions of rupiahs to fund official itineraries to Jakarta and other cities, but have allocated nothing to address health problems affecting women and children, Lery said.
"The province receives annually some Rp 7 trillion in general and special allocation funds from the central government, foreign donors and international agencies, but the provincial government has never unveiled what the funds were used on," she said.
Marselina Sulla, a seven-month-old baby of Tobias Sulla in Oenaek, West Kupang district, recently died of a combination of diarrhea, TB and a lung disorder at the W.Z. Yohannes General Hospital, bringing this year's tally of deaths owing to malnutrition to 22.
The provincial health office previously announced that 21 toddlers had died from malnutrition-caused complications combined with numerous diseases, including marasmus, TB and diarrhea over the past six month.
The deaths have come after the central government cut its Rp 57 billion proposed budget allocation for fighting such incidents to only Rp 2 billion.
Separately, deputy chairman of the provincial legislative council Kristo Blasin said the provincial government had spent Rp 100 billion to hold its gubernatorial election, while many people could not afford their daily needs, and more than 500,000 children were malnourished.
"Much energy and funds have been spent to finance the democracy fiesta while millions of people facing food crises and malnutrition gain no assistance from authorities," he said.
Some 2.3 million voters were expected to go to polling stations Saturday to elect a new governor to replace ailing Piet Tallo.
However, a number of women were unable to exercise their rights as citizens because they were with their children who were undergoing medical treatment at the general hospital in Kupang.
Nelcy Bana, whose son, Alfarido Bana, has been hospitalized for almost a month, said all governors and other regional heads had given too many promises during their political campaigns, but had done nothing when they were in power.
"Every time we visit the public health center, health workers are unable to give free medication because the government does not assist the poor," she said.