Transmigration defies economic sense<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The government's program to resettle millions of
\npeople from overcrowded Java and Bali to lesser-populated islands
\ndefies economic sense, says Minister of Transmigration Siswono
\nJudohusodo.<\/p>\n
Siswono said in a scientific oration on Saturday, however,
\nthat the government must push ahead with its transmigration
\nprogram.<\/p>\n
Indonesia is caught in a vicious circle in trying to manage
\nits population distribution. On the one hand migration is
\nattracted by economic development, while on the other, a lack of
\nhuman resources impedes development, Siswono said at 17 Agustus
\nUniversitas' anniversary ceremony.<\/p>\n
People are driven to migrate from areas with a low degree of
\neconomic development to a much higher one, he said. \"The
\ntransmigration program is contrary to the laws of migration which
\nare rooted in market forces.\"<\/p>\n
About 60 percent of Indonesia's population of 190 million live
\non Java, the most developed region whose natural resources are
\nalso the most exploited in the country.<\/p>\n
The dense population of Java also dictates that most economic
\nresources be spent there. For example, between 1967 to 1992, 62
\npercent of all domestic investments were spent on Java.<\/p>\n
The economic prospects offered on Java have further encouraged
\ngreater migration from other islands, Siswono said.<\/p>\n
Trying to encourage people to move out of Java under the
\ntransmigration problem becomes difficult because people are
\nreluctant to move to underdeveloped areas, he said.<\/p>\n
The government has been embarking on a campaign to attract
\ninvestors to develop the largely underdeveloped eastern provinces
\nin an effort to redress not only the economic imbalances but also
\nthe population imbalances.<\/p>\n
Siswono said lack of human resources on the outer islands has
\nimpeded the pace of development there.<\/p>\n
\"Areas which need to augment their population must offer
\nincentives to attract migrants,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The severity of the unequal population distribution in
\nIndonesia is highlighted in places like Central Kalimantan, with
\na population density of nine persons per square kilometer while
\nJava has 762 persons per square kilometer.<\/p>\n
Jakarta has a density of over 13,000 persons per square
\nkilometer compared to Indonesia's largest province, Irian Jaya,
\nwhich only has four persons per square kilometer.<\/p>\n
\"Even to sleep people have to take turns,\" said Siswono,
\npointing out the situation in places like the Tambora district,
\nWest Jakarta, which has a staggering density of 45,000 people per
\nsquare kilometer.<\/p>\n
Siswono said the mass influx of people into Java is also
\ncausing a \"brain drain\" in other areas.<\/p>\n
\"People from outside of Java coming to Java are generally more
\neducated and motivated than those leaving Java,\" he said.<\/p>\n
According to Siswono, up to \"85 percent of transmigrants
\nleaving Java are elementary school drop outs.\"<\/p>\n
He thus called for people to independently migrate outside of
\nJava since the government-sponsored migration can only facilitate
\n50,000 households, or roughly 200,000 people a year.<\/p>\n
He particularly called on university graduates, such as those
\nat 17 Agustus Universitas, to take the initiative.<\/p>\n
The university is one of the oldest private institutions in
\nthe country, which now has 2,700 students and a teaching staff of
\n241 lecturers and teaching assistants.<\/p>\n
In 1990, the university moved to a new five-hectare campus in
\nSunter, North Jakarta, which houses seven undergraduate faculties
\nand a fledgling postgraduate law program. (mds)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/transmigration-defies-economic-sense-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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