Sustainable development still elusive: Academic<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The concept of sustainable development in
\nIndonesia is still fiction rather than reality, prominent
\nacademic Mubyarto said yesterday.<\/p>\n
Speaking on the second day of the sixth Indonesia National
\nScience Congress, Mubyarto said sustainable development remained
\nnecessary to improve the people's welfare.<\/p>\n
\"In my opinion, sustainable development in the Indonesian
\neconomy is still weighted on hope and desire rather than on
\nreality and historical fact,\" said the professor of economics
\nfrom Yogyakarta's Gadjah Mada University.<\/p>\n
He said that the Indonesian economy had passed through several
\nphases, following various external changes in the world, and that
\nthese had impeded sustainable and continued development.<\/p>\n
\"The Indonesian economy in the 50 years since independence has
\nnot pursued an effective and sequential pattern of development,\"
\nsaid Mubyarto, who is also an assistant to Minister of National
\nDevelopment Planning\/Chairman of the National Development
\nPlanning Board Ginandjar Kartasasmita.<\/p>\n
He defined sustainable development as development which
\nbenefits all levels of society, including future generations.<\/p>\n
Mubyarto argued that development which breeds economic
\ninequality and ignores disparities of wealth cannot be regarded
\nas sustainable development.<\/p>\n
Such development leads to dissatisfaction and creates a social
\ntime bomb for future generations, he said.<\/p>\n
Development must not create new problems which can impede
\ndevelopment, he said, adding that \"it must also avoid unnecessary
\ncasualties or demand unexpectedly high costs.\"<\/p>\n
Political observer Hasnan Habib agreed that social
\ndissatisfaction and unrest are new dangers confronting Indonesia.<\/p>\n
The retired army general said that threats of unrest no
\nlonger stem merely from territorial and military conflicts but
\nfrom problems such as famine, unemployment, environmental
\ndegradation, abuses of power, social disintegration and ethnic
\ntensions.<\/p>\n
These are all things which directly affect the individual's
\nsense of security, he added.<\/p>\n
Mubyarto said that sustainable development is development
\nwhich is not enjoyed merely by a small portion of the people in
\nthe economic elite.<\/p>\n
Mubyarto then discussed Pancasila economics which, he said, is
\nbased on people's cooperatives.<\/p>\n
\"Cooperatives are people's economic organizations which
\nsucceed by working together, (which) do not kill each other
\nthrough competition,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He questioned Indonesia's liberalization of its trade and
\ninvestment regimes.<\/p>\n
\"It is easy to find free competition in an unhealthy
\nenvironment or monopolistic competition,\" he said, adding that
\nthe government is tackling those phenomena.<\/p>\n
\"Siding with the people's economy and cooperatives is a
\nconstitutional mandate and an ideological mission to create a
\njust and equal economic society,\" he said.(mds)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/sustainable-development-still-elusive-academic-1447893297",
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