Social gaps: A ticking time bomb<\/p>\n
By A. Wisnuhardana<\/p>\n
YOGYAKARTA (JP): World Bank President James Wolfensohn once
\nlikened the rich and poor gap to a time bomb which can explode
\nany time unless a comprehensive solution is immediately
\nforthcoming (The Jakarta Post, Sept. 24, 1997).<\/p>\n
In the last four decades, the world has been a witness to such
\na gap among nations with the North assuming the central position
\nin the economic system and the South a milk cow to spur the
\nformer's growth.<\/p>\n
This north-south gap has been keenly observed by Martin Khor
\nKok Peng, who has presented a hypothesis stating that the impact
\nof this gap could have its repercussions in political, social,
\ndefense, ecological and other areas.<\/p>\n
In the context of Indonesia, Wolfensohn's statement has proven
\ncorrect. The recent outbreak of rioting in Ujungpandang, in which
\na reportedly insane man of ethnic Chinese descent killed a little
\ngirl of Bugis descent, proved to be a sorrowful reality
\nreflecting the outburst of gap-related pent-up emotion.<\/p>\n
The seeds of disappointment and psychological wounds stemming
\nfrom income and social gaps have resulted in ethnic Chinese
\nbecoming the symbol of the rich and the occasional victims of the
\npoor's frustration and rage.<\/p>\n
In a capitalist society, different levels of earnings are
\njustified by economic values placed on a worker's productivity
\nstemming from education, knowledge, skill and experience. It is
\nbelieved that these income differences are natural and that
\nsalaries and adjustments must be left to the free market
\nmechanism.<\/p>\n
On a global scale, however, this paradigm is actually an
\nirony. Why? It is a fact that this ideology is now the only
\nideological mainstream in the world after the collapse of
\nsocialism in Eastern Europe.<\/p>\n
Ironically, natural and human resources are being exploited in
\nmany places as capitalism finds its way to many countries. The
\nmodel of the world's capitalist system -- following the thought
\nof Immanuel Wallerstein -- has divided the world into central
\ncapitalist states (advanced Western countries) and peripheral
\ncapitalist states (developing countries).<\/p>\n
Developing countries have fallen into the current of
\ncapitalization created by Western countries, whether they are
\naware of it or not.<\/p>\n
With respect to gap-related problems, there are, according to
\nWallerstein, two main characteristics with opposite trends. The
\nfirst is that capital always flows from peripheral capitalist
\nstates to central capitalist states. This flow of capital takes
\nplace in a very refined manner in various forms from business and
\ntrade by multinational corporations to development and economic
\naid which has actually hurt recipient countries.<\/p>\n
The second is that technology and poverty flow from central
\ncapitalist states to peripheral capitalist states. New technology
\nis exported from developed economies, which have more resources
\nfor research and development, to less developed countries. As
\nsoon as a new technology is absorbed by the consumers in
\ndeveloping countries, a new and more sophisticated technology is
\ndeveloped by central countries to replace it.<\/p>\n
At the same time, these peripheral capitalist countries must
\naccept the process of impoverishment, either directly or
\nindirectly. The capitalization flow taking place in the
\nperipheral countries requires abundant natural resources and
\ncheap manpower in an effort to reap the greatest profits
\npossible. So large-scale exploitation of natural and human
\nresources is taking place in most peripheral capitalist
\ncountries.<\/p>\n
At this juncture, gaps are inevitable. At a global level, the
\ngaps are widening between central and peripheral capitalist
\ncountries as developing countries deplete their national
\nresources and assets in an attempt to catch up to more advanced
\nWestern countries.<\/p>\n
At the local level in the peripheral capitalist countries,
\ngaps are found between a small group of economic elites -- the
\nextension of global capitalists -- and the larger part of the
\npopulation who have to swallow the bitter pill of exploitation.<\/p>\n
In the Indonesian context, social and income gaps have become
\nincreasingly focussed upon. These gaps and their impacts have
\ngrown into problems which cannot be approached partially from the
\neconomic point of view alone or simply from the political angle.<\/p>\n
It is true that thanks to a number of government-sponsored
\nprograms, absolute poverty has been significantly reduced. The
\nnumber of people living under the poverty line has decreased
\nconsiderably over the last few decades.<\/p>\n
However, this reduction has not been coupled with a decrease
\nin relative poverty. Although less people are living in abject
\npoverty, there is a growing realization that the rich have become
\nfar richer and the poor have only become less poor -- the gap has
\nthus continued to increase.<\/p>\n
The income of a low-wage worker may be two hundred or three
\nhundred times smaller than the salary of a top executive in
\nIndonesia. In developed countries however, this difference is
\nbelow fifty fold.<\/p>\n
Therefore, all the problems cited above cannot be solved only
\nthrough partial and charitable policies. One gets the impression
\nthat the government greatly publicizes its success in reducing
\nabsolute poverty but hides data regarding the large number of
\npeople who are still relatively poor.<\/p>\n
Worse still, policies on poverty-handling are colored with
\nbureaucratic involvement. Our bureaucracy, unfortunately, is
\nknown as one of the world's dirtiest, while the country itself
\nhas earned the label of being \"most\" corrupt.<\/p>\n
Gap-related issues also have given birth to a host of other
\npotentially explosive problems in sectors not directly linked
\nwith social gaps or poverty.<\/p>\n
The case of the slain reporter of Bernas daily, Udin, who
\nwrote about irregularities in the distribution of funds allocated
\nfor undeveloped villages, is one example.<\/p>\n
The investigation, topsy-turvy and reflecting unbelievable
\nfabrications, has sown the seeds of potential ventings of anger
\nby groups who have been disgusted with the process but which may
\nnot directly be connected with gap-related issues.<\/p>\n
Perhaps what is described above has not even touched the
\nbeginning of a solution to Indonesia's, or the world's, income
\ndistribution and social problems. One thing is certain, however.
\nIf a social gap is a time bomb, then do not let the time bomb go
\noff before society is ready to deal with all the consequences.<\/p>\n
The writer is an observer of social affairs and a researcher
\nat the Forum for Social and Humanities Studies in Yogyakarta.<\/p>",
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