Habibie asks nation to fast to save rice

Habibie asks nation to fast to save rice

With millions of impoverished people unable to afford enough food, President Bacharuddin Habibie on Sunday asked Indonesians to fast twice a week to save badly needed rice.

Mr. Habibie made the emergency appeal to Indonesia's 200 million people in a nationally televised speech before celebrations to mark the birthday of Islam's founder, the prophet Muhammad.

Indonesia faces perhaps the most critical phase of a yearlong economic crisis in the months ahead, with aid workers warning that tens of millions of people are sinking below the poverty line and can't afford to eat.

''I want to appeal to the people at this time of crisis. I think we had better use the system used by many religions,'' Mr. Habibie said, appealing to people to fast during daylight every Monday and Thursday.

''If 150 million Indonesians do this, the country can save 3 million tons of rice a year, the same amount that the country has to import,'' he said.

Rice is a staple in Indonesia, where many harvests were wiped out in 1997 and earlier this year by the worst drought in 50 years.

Many Indonesians can't afford to buy the rice that is available. In some areas of the country, there is not even enough rice to feed those who can afford it.

Foreign governments are providing food aid to economically stricken Indonesia, and the International Monetary Fund is leading a US$43 billion (HK$332 billion) bailout for the Southeast Asian nation.

Earlier on Sunday, tens of thousands of Muslims gathered on the grounds of a Jakarta sports complex for a mass prayer, many weeping as they appealed for an end to Indonesia's economic gloom.