Poverty and apathy<\/p>\n
We heard resolute words from Vice President Jusuf Kalla on
\nWednesday -- that in three years, there should be no more
\nelementary school buildings on the verge of collapse.<\/p>\n
In various areas, he said, many schools are in bad condition
\nand need urgent attention, so that in a couple of years \"we
\nshould no longer see schools without seats, or schools without
\nwalls\", he said when opening a national conference on overcoming
\npoverty here.<\/p>\n
In the near future, he added, no more community health centers
\nshould lack medicine either.<\/p>\n
The Vice President aptly highlighted a snapshot of what it
\nmeans to be poor -- to have your children study at the cheapest
\nschools, which could mean schools with not much more than poorly
\nconstructed buildings plus a few teachers and books, even in
\nplaces not far from the capital; or having to rely on a local
\nhealth center which, while cheap, often lacks essential medicine
\nfor the wide community to which it caters.<\/p>\n
Reducing poverty is among the top priorities of President
\nSusilo Bambang Yudhoyono's administration, and, as we have since
\nlearned, a major area of cooperation planned by over 100 nations
\nthat participated in last week's 50th jubilee of the Asian-
\nAfrican Conference. The leaders of at least four billion people
\nin the regions are some of those who committed to the United
\nNations \"Millennium Development Goals\" -- the first being
\neradicating extreme poverty and hunger.<\/p>\n
In Indonesia's case, the task of reducing poverty has become
\neven harder since the December tsunami, after which an estimated
\none million people were added to the figures of the nation's poor
\nof over 36 million people, or 16.4 percent of the population.<\/p>\n
Even before appealing for world solidarity to fight poverty at
\nlast week's Asian-African Summit, President Susilo took measures
\nto ensure that citizens better off than those who live on US$1 a
\nday or less help out by making sacrifices. Amid uproar and
\nskepticism, last month he raised fuel prices through the cutting
\nof subsidies, for decades enjoyed by the upper and middle
\nclasses, pledging that these funds would instead help pay for the
\neducation and health care of poor families.<\/p>\n
But entering the sixth month of the President's tenure, the
\nquestions stemming from decades of mistrust continue: how can a
\ngovernment hope to help the poor in an even slightly significant
\nway while money continues to be siphoned off to line the pockets
\nof those not entitled to it?<\/p>\n
One answer coming from another discussion on poverty was: end
\npublic apathy, involve the poor. Corruption continues to occur in
\npart because of a helpless, compliant society, said Teten
\nMasduki of the Indonesian Corruption Watch, one of the speakers
\nat a forum on poverty held by non-governmental organizations
\nhere.<\/p>\n
Others, however, cited experiences among the poor that throw
\nlight on the degree of widespread apathy here -- such as years of
\nfighting for one's land that has yet to bear fruit in the face of
\npowerful people.<\/p>\n
We were reminded in these talks that however dismal the
\nsituation, we are in different era from the days of the New
\nOrder, when it was not surprising for a vocal dissident to
\nsuddenly vanish off the streets. Nowadays a more discriminating,
\nbold public, with a more vigilant press, should be able to
\nprevent, for instance, budget designs that allocate
\ndisproportional amounts of cash for a governor's wardrobe
\ncompared to that allocated for schools.<\/p>\n
There's no shortcut to reducing the ranks of the poor, or to
\nend the corrupt practices that steal their money. More
\ninvolvement from an informed public is needed, and along with
\nthat, more authorities detached from the former culture of
\nthinking that common people have no business questioning their
\nactions.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/poverty-and-apathy-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}