UN report urges more funds for democracy<\/p>\n
M. Taufiqurrahman, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Indonesia will need to spend about Rp 108 trillion (US$12.13
\nbillion) on human development if it wants to perpetuate its
\nfledgling democracy, a United Nations (UN) report says.<\/p>\n
In its recently released 2004 Human Development Report (HDR)
\non Indonesia, the UN said long-term survival of democracy would
\nhinge on the government's willingness to invest more in human
\ndevelopment, not only to fulfill its people's basic rights, but
\nalso to lay foundations for economic growth.<\/p>\n
The report, which was made available to The Jakarta Post, said
\nattention to human development was a necessary step in the
\ntransition from authoritarianism to democracy, and it could also
\nhelp heal acute social divisions that arose following the fall of
\nthe New Order regime in 1998.<\/p>\n
\"Indonesia can afford to establish a new contract based on key
\ncivil and economic rights -- basic education, basic health, food
\nand physical security,\" the report suggested.<\/p>\n
The HDR, jointly published by the Central Statistics Agency,
\nthe National Development Planning Board and the United Nations
\nDevelopment Program, also pointed out in which areas the
\ngovernment should invest more.<\/p>\n
According to a World Bank estimate, the country should invest
\nRp 13.6 trillion ($1.5 billion) annually to guarantee people's
\nbasic right to health care: A basic health package for all would
\ncost Rp 10.7 trillion, with another Rp 2.9 trillion needed for
\npoverty health grants.<\/p>\n
\"The current expenditure on primary health care is Rp 8.4
\ntrillion, therefore the required increase is Rp 5.2 trillion,\"
\nthe report said.<\/p>\n
To fulfill the right to basic education, the government would
\nneed to increase investment from Rp 33 trillion to Rp 58 trillion
\n-- based upon an annual ideal expenditure per pupil at the
\nprimary level of Rp 1.17 million and Rp 2.28 million for the
\nsecondary level.<\/p>\n
\"This may seem a dramatic rise, but in fact, the state
\nConstitution already commits the country to spending more than
\nthis.\"<\/p>\n
The HDR said in order to guarantee food security for all who
\nfall below the poverty line -- 18 percent of the population, or
\n38 million people -- the government must spend Rp 8.4 trillion.<\/p>\n
\"However, the cost will be much smaller if the health and
\neducation investments have been made,\" it said.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Rp 28.4 trillion was needed to increase police
\nsalaries and number, which would in turn provide citizens with
\nmore physical security.<\/p>\n
The HDR concluded that for all basic services, public
\nexpenditure would only increase from 3 percent of the country's
\ngross domestic product to six percent.<\/p>\n
\"This figure is much smaller than the amount the government
\nhas spent in bailing out troubled private banks through the Bank
\nof Indonesia Liquidity Fund (BLBI),\" chief advisor of the United
\nNations Support Facility for Indonesian Recovery Satish Mishra
\nsaid at a recent discussion.<\/p>\n
The government spent a whopping Rp 144 trillion in BLBI during
\nthe late-1990s financial crisis on dozens of ailing banks.<\/p>\n
Poor investment in basic services has been blamed for the
\ncountry's low human development index (HDI) compared to some
\nneighboring countries.<\/p>\n
Indonesia's HDI of 0.692 placed the country 111th of 177
\ncountries surveyed in 2002, below Thailand, the Philippines and
\nother Southeast Asian countries.<\/p>",
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