Experts: What about economic rights?<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): As human rights campaigners marked the
\ninternational human rights this weekend debating individuals'
\ncivic rights, another group of experts yesterday asked: \"What
\nabout people's economic rights?\"<\/p>\n
Legislator A.A. Baramuli, economist Loekman Soetrisno and
\nhuman rights activist B.N. Marbun joined in a seminar which
\nconcluded that people's economic rights have not fared any better
\nthan their political rights.<\/p>\n
There is still a big disparity in almost every sectors of the
\neconomy, between the wealthy and the poor, and between those who
\nhave access to improve their lot and those who do not, Baramuli
\ntold the seminar organized by the Diponegoro University.<\/p>\n
\"Threats and violations to people's economic rights can be
\nseen from the behavior of those in power and those who are
\neconomically strong in accumulating wealth. They're colluding
\nwithout shame for their own greed,\" Baramuli said.<\/p>\n
It is the government's duty to ensure economic justice for
\neveryone, and to allow those who are economically weak to improve
\ntheir condition, he said.<\/p>\n
\"A government policy seeking to ensure better balance in
\neconomic participation could hardly be called discriminative,\" he
\nsaid in dispelling concerns that such a policy could lead to
\ndiscrimination against the better off members of society.<\/p>\n
He proposed the allocation of at least 70 percent of all bank
\ncredits to small and medium sized businesses, and at least 20
\npercent of all government projects to small enterprises.<\/p>\n
This, he explained, would redress the imbalance in the economy
\nthat is now heavily dominated by big corporations.<\/p>\n
Loekman said it was the wish of the nation's founding fathers
\n50 years ago that every citizen be given their economic rights,
\nsuch as the right to jobs, to decent pay and to equal business
\nopportunities.<\/p>\n
This has not happened yet because in Indonesia political power
\nand economic power are feeding on another, he said.<\/p>\n
\"Nepotism\" and \"favoritism\" still prevail in Indonesia and
\nthis is affecting at the way economic decisions are being made,
\nhe said. \"Those that acquire economic rights are those closest to
\npeople in power,\" he noted.<\/p>\n
It is not surprising therefore if most bank credits fall into
\nthe hands of business people who are closest to the rulers, he
\nsaid. And it is no wonder either that many of these credits often
\nturn into bad loans, he added.<\/p>\n
Loekman argued that people's economic rights cannot be
\nrespected in full as long as they are not given their political
\nrights in full. (har\/emb)<\/p>",
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