The issue of determining beneficiary deciles should no longer be\nviewed merely as an administrative or data-updating matter. This is\nbecause it concerns the people\u2019s right to social protection amid\nincreasingly difficult economic conditions. This was conveyed by the\nPresident of the All-Indonesia Workers\u2019 Union Association (Aspirasi),\nMirah Sumirat.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have received various complaints from the public and workers that\ntheir economic conditions have not changed significantly\u2014income remains\nthe same, jobs remain the same, the number of dependents remains the\nsame, and the burden of living is even heavier\u2014yet their decile position\nhas changed or risen,\u201d Mirah said in a statement received on Monday\n(24\/8).<\/p>\n
Mirah is concerned that the change in decile could result in their\nnames being removed from the list of social assistance recipients. She\nquestioned how people whose lives have not become more prosperous could\nbe categorised as more capable. \u201cDo not let the poor be defeated by\nnumbers and defeated by the system,\u201d she stressed.<\/p>\n
Aspirasi, Mirah said, understands that the government needs accurate\ndata to ensure social protection programmes are well targeted. However,\nthe organisation questions whether accuracy is only measured based on\nsystems and classifications, while the factual conditions of the people\non the ground are not adequately reflected. Mirah emphasised that people\ndo not live in spreadsheets but in reality.<\/p>\n
\u201cA labourer whose salary remains the same, for example, must face\nincreases in rental costs, transportation, food, children\u2019s education,\nhealth, and various other household needs. If their income does not\nincrease but the burden of living rises, then in reality their economic\ncapacity is increasingly under pressure,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Therefore, according to Mirah, economic capacity should not only be\nseen from what a person owns, but must also be seen from how much burden\nthey must bear to sustain their family\u2019s life. Aspirasi is also asking\nthe government to comprehensively evaluate the decile determination\nsystem currently used as one of the bases for determining\nbeneficiaries.<\/p>\n
Furthermore, Aspirasi is pushing for the decile-based classification\nof the public to be discontinued and replaced with a data presentation\nsystem that is more transparent, objective, measurable, and reflects the\nactual economic conditions of the people.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe government must be brave enough to show the public the real\nfigures: how much people earn, how many dependents they have, how much\ntheir household expenditure burden is, how much the cost of living is in\nthe area where they live, and what their employment and welfare\nconditions are like,\u201d Mirah said.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo not let the public be labelled decile 1, decile 2, decile 3, and\nso on, while these labels are unable to describe the real difficulties\nthey experience,\u201d she stressed.<\/p>\n
Previously, economist Yusuf Rendy Manilet from the Center of Reform\non Economics (CORE) highlighted the problem of using deciles as a\ndividing line. Yusuf said the proxy means test (PMT) is indeed useful\nfor estimating welfare levels, but its accuracy is not the same across\nthe entire distribution.<\/p>\n
\u201cAround the boundary of deciles 8 and 9, the difference in economic\nconditions between households can be very thin. A small error in\nestimation can cause someone to move groups. Moreover, the expenditure\nmodel only explains part of the variation in economic conditions, while\nthe rest is a residual not captured by the model,\u201d he told Media\nIndonesia last week.<\/p>\n
Another more fundamental problem is that variables such as assets,\nhousing conditions, electricity, and education mostly describe the stock\nof past welfare. Yet, Yusuf gave an example, a person\u2019s ability to cope\nwith rising fuel costs is determined by today\u2019s cash flow.<\/p>\n
Another example is that a person who owns a decent house due to\ninheritance does not necessarily have sufficient income. Likewise, an\nonline motorcycle taxi driver who appears relatively well-off in terms\nof assets is very sensitive to daily operational costs.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe risk is even greater because one classification is used for many\nprogrammes, from social assistance to education, health services, and\nnow fuel. If a classification error occurs, the impact is no longer\nstandalone,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
The same error can affect several rights at once. Therefore,\naccording to Yusuf, DTSEN should be treated as an initial screening\nstage, not as a final decision. Households near the boundary line need\nadditional verification and a clear objection mechanism.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/workers-portrait-economic-conditions-unchanged-but-decile-rises-1787568626", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }