Poverty is said to be the cause of an elementary school student ending his life.
This tragedy in Ngada district, East Nusa Tenggara is due to the inability of the family to meet the needs of school stationery.
This is a loud alarm over the conditions of extreme poverty plaguing East Nusa Tenggara.
Although the official poverty rate is recorded above 19 percent, the reality on the ground is thought to be much more severe due to the too-low poverty line setting standards, where small communities generally live on a daily income that is only enough for the feeding needs of the time as well.
This condition is aggravated by the failure of local governments to manage budgets effectively and transparently, as evidenced by the abundance of programs that do not touch the interests of the people as well as the high rates of corruption in the region.
Marsel Nagus Ahang from LPPDM stressed the need for a thorough audit of regional leaders' social funds as well as KPK involvement to monitor the flow of aid funds.
Morally, the government is perceived as failing to protect its most vulnerable citizens, so demands for transparency in school aid funding and the need for collaboration with non-governmental institutions such as churches and NGOs are urgent to prevent a repeat of similar tragedies.
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Nurhadi Sucahyo
