AFP:WB:Jakarta's urban poor mass protest against abuse of funds

[Robert Weissman <rob@essential.org>]

Jakarta's urban poor stage mass protest against abuse of funds
JAKARTA, April 22 (AFP) - More than 1,000 of Jakarta's urban poor staged a
mass demonstration here Thursday accusing the government and the World Bank
of abusing social safety net funds.
The huge crowd, with colorful hats and posters made of recycled trash,
sang,
danced and shouted slogans against corruption at a main traffic roundabout
in
the city center, before heading down a main avenue towards the National
Planning Board.
Grouped under the banner of the Urban Poor Coalition, they handed out
leaflets to passersby challenging the World Bank to reveal its fund
disbursement criteria, and charging officials with lining their own pockets
with the funds.
"Stop the social safety net program," and "We will work without the Social
Safety Net," read some of the posters, while others charged that the
program
was merely increasing the country's debt burden.
The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund have earmarked millions
of
dollars of a 34 billion dollar bailout for Indonesia for the growing army
of
poor, hardest hit by the current economic crisis.
But many have rejected the payouts, charging that they receive what is left
at the bottom of the pot after officials down the line have skimmed of the
cream, and that some district chiefs are charging exorbitant interest.