In Reply to: Wow! I'm not alone... posted by Dr Bali on Tuesday, 20. July 2004 at 22:53 Bali Time:
He also talks a lot but there's little evidence, that I can see, that anything concrete is done. He, or his staff, underpay the sarong workers. Yogya is full of beggars and pretend beggars. The Sultan put out a message sometime last year that we should only give money to "real" beggars. Does that mean "real beggars" are registered in some way so we can all tell the difference?
And if he really cares, why doesn't he give them jobs in his palace? Or build something useful for them where they can learn skills? He could always sell some of his expensive cars. Sometimes when I was there and feeling jaded, I'd suggest to "beggars" that they set up outside the palace and get some dosh from the beloved Sultan.
In the unlikely event that Mr Sultan reads this, I would be quite prepared to talk directly with him and suggest a few simple ideas. Of course, neither I nor the "beggars" can hold our breaths forever...