Pangkalpinang (Antara Babel) - Vice presidential candidate Hatta Rajasa said, if elected, his government would provide protection for the poor through a social protection program.
"We will provide health insurance, education and subsidy assistance for underprivileged families as a form of our struggle to bring prosperity to the whole people of Indonesia," Hatta Rajasa stated here on Saturday.
He said he would also continue the 12-year obligatory eduction scheme, which would be borne by the government as part of its effort to improve the quality of the nation¿s human resources.
Hatta, who is the running mate of presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto, said that with improved human resources, the people of Bangka Belitung (Babel) would be able to cultivate the province's natural resources, such as tin.
He added that when the tin deposits were depleted in Babel, its people, possessing quality human resources, would then be able to exploit the natural wealth of renewable marine-life.
Hatta, who recently resigned as chief economic minister in the present government of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, said that his side would also develop port infrastructures, strong logistics facilities and an energy infrastructure to help develop renewable natural resource-based industries.
"With the availability of complete infrastructures, the people of Babel will be able to develop agriculture, fishery and tourism-based industries," he added.
Indonesia will organize a democratic presidential election on July 9, 2014, which will have only two pairs of presidential and vice-presidential candidates: Prabowo Subianto-Hatta Rajasa and Joko Widodo (Jokowi)-Jusuf Kalla.
Prabowo Subianto is a retired military general and the chairman of Gerindra (Great Indonesia Movement) Party, while his running mate, Hatta Rajasa, is a former coordinating minister for economic affairs and the chairman of the National Mandate Party (PAN).
Jokowi is Jakarta's governor and a cadre of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP), while his running mate, Jusuf Kalla (JK), is a former vice president and a senior politician of the Golkar Party.
The Jokowi-JK pair is supported by five political parties: the Indonesia Democratic Party Struggle (PDIP), the Nation Awakening Party (PKB), the People's Conscience Party (Hanura), the Justice and Indonesian Unity Party (PKPI), and the National Democrats Party (Nasdem) established by Surya Paloh, owner of Metro TV and the Media Indonesia newspaper.
The Prabowo-Hatta pair is supported by Gerindra, PAN, the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), the United Development Party (PPP), the Moon and Star Party (PBB), and the Golkar Party, whose current chairman is Aburizal Bakrie, owner of TV One.
