'Spinning' care<\/p>\n
It all sounds very good, but what does it all mean? The
\ngovernment's recent announcement that it would \"allocate\" savings
\nfrom the discontinuation of the fuel subsidy to provide free
\nbasic education and health care for the country's poor sounds
\nwonderfully appealing.<\/p>\n
Too appealing in fact. After overcoming the initial
\nexcitement, the message increasingly resonates more like a
\nrhetorical campaign slogan than a concrete policy.<\/p>\n
Sri Mulyani Indrawati, chairperson of the National Development
\nPlanning Agency, announced that at least Rp 20 trillion, money
\nreallocated from fuel subsidies, would be used to fund welfare
\nprograms like free schools under the nine-year mandatory
\neducation drive and health care for Indonesia's poorest. The
\ngovernment, she added was also looking at other initiatives to
\nchannel the money into, such as the provision of cheap rice.<\/p>\n
The government has also identified some 32 million
\ndisadvantaged people who are eligible to receive such assistance.<\/p>\n
Any initiative, intent or even remark aimed at improving the
\nwelfare of millions should be welcomed. But a discerning eye
\nshould be directed at whether it was divulged with the objective
\nof truly addressing the pressing problems of the poor, or as
\nwindow dressing to appease a potentially disgruntled public.<\/p>\n
Free education and health care was one of the most common
\ncampaign slogans both in the legislative and presidential
\nelection. In fact, it was even a standard campaign blurb in the
\nelections of 1999.<\/p>\n
Basic education and decent health care should be a right, not
\na privilege provided by the ruling government of the day. The
\nright to basic education is clearly stipulated in Article 31 of
\nthe 1945 Constitution, while the responsibility to provide
\nadequate health care is stated in Article 34.<\/p>\n
Furthermore, much of what was announced was really a
\nrepetition of programs and initiatives that were in place even
\nduring the Soeharto era.<\/p>\n
With varying degrees of success, the nine-year education
\nprogram was in existence long before President Susilo Bambang
\nYudhoyono even entered government. During Indonesia's economic
\nheyday education was officially free, even though unofficial fees
\nwere routinely collected by the schools.<\/p>\n
Since the 1970s thousands of elementary schools -- commonly
\nreferred to as SD Inpres -- were built using special funds
\naccorded from the presidential office.<\/p>\n
Similarly, small community health centers were setup to
\nprovide health care in villages and remote areas. To this day,
\neven major referral hospitals like Cipto Mangunkusumo General
\nHospital in Central Jakarta charge very little for patients
\ntreated in their third-class wing.<\/p>\n
A letter from the local subdistrict chief certifying that one
\nis poor often helps to alleviate further basic health care costs
\nin state hospitals.<\/p>\n
That certainly does not mean that Indonesians get the optimum
\navailable care, but at least there are provisions, albeit less
\nthan sufficient, which may help to ease certain burdens.<\/p>\n
Hence the government's recent announcement should be seen as
\nnothing more than augmentation, at best, and continuation, at
\nworst, of programs already in place. While it is encouraging, it
\nis not something to boast about yet.<\/p>\n
Apart from a larger allocation of funds, the best that can be
\nhoped for is that the system is made more effective and the
\nbureaucracy that complicates things for the uninformed poor is
\nmade more efficient.<\/p>\n
Cynics may question the timing of the announcement, pointing
\nto the fact that the government will inevitably revoke subsidies
\nand raise fuel prices in the near future. Subsidy reductions are
\na politically sensitive issue and have produced the most
\nsignificant street rallies in recent years. In fact president
\nSoeharto resigned in 1998 in the wake of mass rioting in Jakarta
\ntriggered by subsidy reductions.<\/p>\n
The present administration has always maintained that fuel
\nsubsidies are unsustainable and that only a small portion of the
\npublic, usually the affluent, enjoy the benefits of such a
\nsubsidy. Through various advertisements in the mass media, the
\ngovernment has launched a campaign to sway public opinion on the
\nnecessity of reducing the burden of subsidies.<\/p>\n
It would be a pity if the declared intent to provide free
\neducation and health care was designed more to cushion possible
\nanger at rising fuel prices.<\/p>\n
The art of \"spinning\" is common practice in politics. But what
\nour elected officials should realize is that with or without the
\n\"spin\", there can be no better investment in their political
\ncareers than ensuring the welfare of voters.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/spinning-care-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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