Legislator urges equal wealth distribution<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Legislator, A.M. Saefudin, is urging the
\ngovernment to pursue concerted efforts to enhance an equitable
\ndistribution of wealth and resources, by empowering small
\nbusinesses, dismantling unfair practices and pursuing
\ndecentralization.<\/p>\n
Speaking at a seminar here on Saturday, Saefudin noted the
\ncurrent decision making process, dominated by the central
\ngovernment in Jakarta, was less than efficient.<\/p>\n
\"The reliance on a single leader in the decision making
\nprocess is also hindering the people's participation,\" said
\nSaefudin, a legislator at the Technology and Development Planning
\nCommission of the House of Representatives.<\/p>\n
Saefudin noted a dynamic economy demands more transparency and
\ndecentralization.<\/p>\n
He also called on the government to pay more attention in
\ndeveloping the economy of the common people, in a bid to reduce
\nthe widening gap between the rich and poor.<\/p>\n
\"Building the people's economy serves as a strategic means to
\nbridge the gap, and at the same time, strengthens the middle
\nclass,\" Saefudin told the seminar, organized by the Indonesia
\nTransparency Institute.<\/p>\n
He noted the country's economic development during the last 25
\nyears had empowered only the upper-class grouping of people, and
\nthus widened the societal gap.<\/p>\n
As a result of previous economic development, the 200 largest
\nbusinesses controlled some 60 percent of the country's gross
\ndomestic products, Saefudin said.<\/p>\n
He criticized the government's policy during the 1969-1994
\nperiod, which emphasized high growth, but neglected equal access
\nto resources.<\/p>\n
He stated the growth policy was initially pursued to produce
\nmore equality in wealth distribution, through the so-called
\ntrickle-down effect. \"However, the effects did not happen,\"
\nSaefudin said.<\/p>\n
Nonetheless, he commended the government's success in
\nachieving high economic growth at between six and seven percent
\nper-annum during the period of 1969-1994, and its success in
\nreducing the number of poverty stricken from 56 percent to 13.4
\npercent.<\/p>\n
However, Saefudin noted Indonesia might have enjoyed higher
\neconomic growth with higher income per capita, if there had been
\nless corruption in the bureaucracy.<\/p>\n
\"Our contemporary economic life ... is already full of
\ncollusions (between officials and businesspeople) and
\ncorruption,\" Saefudin said.<\/p>\n
He acknowledged the government has been aware of the problems
\nand has started to address them.<\/p>\n
Except, he argued, the measures introduced by the government
\ndo not directly address the main problem of the structure of
\neconomic and social gaps.<\/p>\n
\"It is true past economic development has brought structural
\nchanges. However, economic and social gaps, the by-products of
\nsuch economic development, also have structural characteristics,\"
\nSaefudin said.<\/p>\n
He criticized the government for being so lenient in dealing
\nwith unfair practices by a number of large businesses, such as
\nmonopoly and oligopoly.<\/p>\n
In the current free-trade era, Saefudin holds the government
\nshould focus attention on small and medium sized businesses, to
\nhelp them compete with large businesses and foreign or joint-
\nventure enterprises.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Fauzan Al-Anshari of the Indonesian Transparency
\nInstitute said all parties should pursue efforts to bring more
\ndemocratization, in both economy and politics.<\/p>\n
In its efforts to pursue more democratization, Fauzan
\nexplained, the transparency institute is promoting efforts to
\nimprove the transparency of the government's policies, in a bid
\nto help create good governance in the country.<\/p>\n
The Indonesia Transparency Institute was established in August
\n1995, and was modeled on the Berlin-based Transparency
\nInternational.<\/p>\n
Transparency International is a non-governmental organization
\nwhich actively fights against corruption in the world. It
\nperiodically issues a list of 53 countries, ranked by degree of
\ncorruption practices.<\/p>\n
Its latest list cited Indonesia as one of the most corrupt,
\namong the 53 developed and developing countries studied.<\/p>\n
\"We will soon hold a public debate on the finding of
\nTransparency International, to raise public awareness of the
\nissue,\" Fauzan said. (rid)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/legislator-urges-equal-wealth-distribution-1447893297",
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