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The
regional government has been accused of failing
to respond to the hardship on Savu & Rai Jua,
despite helping communities elsewhere in the
province. On Thursday, March 24th 2005, two
residents of Hawu Mehara (Savu Mesara), Mr. Frans
Hana and Mr. Moses Kale, visited the Kupang
Regional Office in an effort to persuade the
regional government to include Savu & Rai Jua
on their list of aid recipients. They argued that
the recent crop failure caused by the drought
will soon lead to food shortages and then
widespread hunger.
The image on the left shows a
crop of maize on Savu following months of dry
weather. The image on the right shows how it
would normally look. Due to insufficient rain,
this year's maize crops have failed to develop
mature cobs of corn.
Although
the government has previously claimed to be
monitoring the situation, Mr. Hana & Mr. Kale
insisted that it is now time to act. Their cause
was subsequently taken up by a member of the
Regional Legislative Assembly, Mr. Ruben Kale
Dipa, who called on the head of the Kupang
Regency Office, Drs. Ibrahim Medah, to act
decisively in response to the hardship facing the
people of Savu & Rai Jua. He even made the
astonishing proposal that people from Savu were
prepared to work for the aid they received.
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Fuel
is up to 50% more expensive on Savu & Rai Jua
compared with Kupang. An agent handling the sale
of fuel to Savu has been asked by The Legislative
Assembly in Kupang to explain why prices are so
high on Savu. However, the agent merely pointed
out that the locals set their own prices. Freight
is obviously a factor, however the high prices
may simply reflect the uncertainty of supply,
which is an ongoing
problem
for Savu and Rai Jua.
Kerosene costs Rp.1,400/l on
Savu, compared with Rp.950/l in Kupang.
Petrol costs Rp.3,200/l on Savu,
compared with Rp.2,400/l in Kupang.
Diesel costs Rp.2,650/l on Savu,
compared with Rp.2,100/l in Kupang.
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Copyright © 2007
Ina Tali/Francesca Von Reinhaart.
© raijua.com
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