Mutual assistance<\/p>\n
From Merdeka<\/p>\n
The monetary turmoil now hitting a number of countries,
\nincluding Indonesia, have wide repercussions and have affected
\nthe prices of daily necessities. In an effort to overcome these
\nproblems, the Malaysian and Thai governments have slashed the
\nsalaries of high-ranking government officials.<\/p>\n
Indonesia upholds a principle of mutual assistance which is
\nlaid out in the state's ideology of Pancasila and the 1945
\nConstitution. This means that the capital for development must
\ncome from the contributions of all citizens, irrespective of
\ntheir earnings and occupation.<\/p>\n
If I am not mistaken, 124 million people were eligible to vote
\nin the 1997 general election. Let's say that 100 million of these
\npeople have an income. If they contributed Rp 1,000 each every
\nmonth, the capital accumulated in a month would be 100 million x
\nRp 1,000 = Rp 100 billion. If the monthly contribution fee was Rp
\n5,000 each, Rp 500 billion could be collected every month.<\/p>\n
Such contribution fees could be collected, for example,
\nthrough neighborhood communities or at workplaces. An
\norganization could then be established to manage the funds. It
\ncould be called the Citizen Owned Business Undertaking.<\/p>\n
If it was honestly managed, this business undertaking could be
\ndeveloped jointly with the government, businesspeople and
\nscientists, with the support of the community. With God's
\nblessing, the organization could provide free schooling to
\nchildren eligible for the government's nine-year basic education
\nprogram and grant scholarships to excellent students.<\/p>\n
If the earnings of community members increased, the
\ncontribution fees could be raised as well so that other sectors
\ncould be helped such as electricity, interisland transportation,
\ninformation and telecommunications, rural cooperatives, small
\nbusinesses and social welfare.<\/p>\n
SOEMANTO DWIDJOLEKSONO<\/p>\n
Surakarta, Central Java<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/mutual-assistance-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }