Constitutional law expert Prof.\u00a0Zainal Arifin Mochtar has highlighted\na problem in the public sphere. He said spaces for meeting and\ndeliberation are becoming increasingly scarce, so citizens only gather\nin groups that have agreed with one another from the outset.<\/p>\n
Prof.\u00a0Zainal made the remarks during a discussion forum held at\nAndalas University in Padang, West Sumatra, on Monday, 31 August\n2026.<\/p>\n
\u201cDigital conversation spaces are filled with noise and information\nthat is never tested, so information never grows into knowledge,\u201d said\nProf.\u00a0Zainal.<\/p>\n
He argued that university research findings, which should serve as\nmaterial for public debate, are also difficult for citizens to access.\nWhen both spaces are closed off, citizens lose the most basic tool for\ndemanding accountability, and the democratic rights that should\nguarantee economic improvement are stripped away first.<\/p>\n
\u201cData and information are our weapons against authoritarianism. An\nauthoritarian state will bombard its citizens with claims of a single\ntruth through speeches,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, economist Wijayanto Samirin said the government celebrates\ngrowth figures while the public faces continually rising staple food\nprices, waves of layoffs, and increasingly difficult job prospects,\nespecially for young people.<\/p>\n
According to Wijayanto, a number of indicators used by the government\nemploy overly loose measures.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor example, anyone who works one hour in a week is already counted\nas employed, and the level of inequality is still calculated from\nhousehold expenditure, even though many countries have shifted to\ncalculating it from income. As a result, the figures can improve without\nany real improvement being felt,\u201d said Wijayanto.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is a disconnect between the data and narratives and reality.\nThe numbers are polished to look good,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Andalas University economics professor Prof.\u00a0Syafruddin Karimi\nidentified corruption, collusion and nepotism as the main causes of low\nnational productivity.<\/p>\n
He said such practices are no longer centralised as they were during\nthe New Order era, but have spread to almost every point of transaction,\nfrom large projects to the smallest licensing matters.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe most dangerous thing is its normalisation, because no one feels\nthe need to be angry anymore. As long as that circle is allowed to\ncontinue, productivity will keep lagging behind the claimed growth rate,\nand the rupiah exchange rate will remain fragile because what actually\nunderpins it is the real sector,\u201d he said.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/corruption-seen-as-main-factor-behind-low-national-productivity-1788198623", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }