MATASEMARANG.COM – Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka has emphasized the importance of lactation rooms for breastfeeding mothers and diaper changing rooms for babies on long-distance train journeys.
His statement was in response to a suggestion from a member of the legislature (DPR) who proposed the provision of dedicated smoking carriages on long-distance train journeys.
“If there is fiscal space, it would be better to prioritize, for example, pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, toddlers, the elderly, and people with disabilities,” he said after reviewing the revitalization of Solo Balapan Station in Solo, Central Java, on Sunday.
According to him, public policy should be formulated by identifying priority needs.
Any fiscal resources available for the state-owned railway company, PT KAI, should be prioritized for pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, the elderly, and people with disabilities, he noted.
“For example, a lactation room in the carriage, perhaps the toilets could be widened for parents to change babies’ diapers comfortably. I think it is a higher priority. There is a scale of priorities in policy formulation,” he emphasized.
Therefore, Gibran addressed the legislature member’s proposal for a smoking carriage by reiterating that policy-making is guided by the community’s priority needs.
However, all aspirations for KAI improvement will be accommodated, he added.
Previously, DPR member Nasim Khan proposed that KAI provide a dedicated smoking carriage on long-distance trains.
