"Hopefully, in the future more companies will organize free `mudik`," Coordinating Minister for People`s Welfare Agung Laksono said when seeing off around 19,000 people joining free "mudik" organized by a traditional herbal medicine company, at Kemayoran, here on Thursday.
Also present on the occasion were Women`s Empowerment and Child Protection Minister Linda Amalia Sari Gumelar, Transportation Minister Freddy Numbery and Manpower and Transmigration Minister Muhaimin Iskandar.
Some 300 buses were provided by PT Jamu Sido Muncul, a major traditional herbal medicine (jamu) producer, to take mostly jamu vendors and their families, to Yogyakarta, Cirebon, Kuningan (West Java), Tegal, Banjarnegara, Solo, and Wonogiri (Central Java), free of charge.
Meutia Hatta, a member of the Presidential Advisory Cuncil, Deputy Police Chief Commissioner General Nanan Soekarna, Jakarta Governor Fauzi Bowo, and President Director of PT Sido Muncul Irwan Hidayat, also attended the event.
Minister Linda Gumelar in her remarks urged PT Sido Muncul to provide health insurance and social security for jamu vendors and their families, in order to stimulate them to be more productive in marketing jamu.
She said the free "mudik" program could help protect women and children in general vulnerable amidst big crowds of home-bound travelers.
According to the 2010 data, there were 1,351 traffic accidents, which killed 302 people, seriously wounder 405, and slightly injured 826 others during last year`s Idul Fitri exodus.
(SYS/F001/O001)
Editor: Suryanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
