Critics push govt to find balance in development
Critics push govt to find balance in development
JAKARTA (JP): Government critics gathered yesterday to discuss
how the nation fared in terms of economic development over the
past 30 years, focusing on social and economic disparity.
Members of the Petisi 50 group, while commemorating its 16th
anniversary, urged the New Order administration to temper the
fervor with which it's been pursuing economic growth. They
recommended that it should be balanced with social, cultural and
political development.
"Without such a healthy balance, there will be a marked
disparity, even though the economic statistics show progress,"
Gen. (ret) Abdul Haris Nasution said as quoted by Antara.
Nasution, Indonesia's most senior military figure, said that
the overemphasis on economic development -- which he called
"economic pragmatism" -- tends to eclipse other aspects of life.
"In this condition, people can't develop critical minds,
something which, along with creativity, is crucial for a
developing nation," he said.
Without healthy political developments, financial and
infrastructure developments will hinder justice, creating an
environment of collusion between power holders and business
entrepreneurs, with an undue emphasis on materialism.
"The strong will become stronger while the weak become even
weaker," he said.
In one of his most recently published books, Moral
Development, Essence of National Development, Nasution compared
Sukarno's Old Order administration with the New Order government
led by President Soeharto.
"During the Old Order, our political system was formally based
on Pancasila and the Constitution. Even now, it's formally the
same. But in reality, there are deviations and shortcomings," he
wrote last year.
"It's undeniable that our development ... has produced some
real results, especially infrastructure development. But in
reality, there is evidence of widespread moral decadence ...
hypocrisy, corruption ... manipulation, lack of legal enforcement
and justice ... The increasing gap between the rich and the
poor," Nasution said in his book.
He reiterated his stance yesterday, saying that the New Order
corrected the Old Order. It should now stand to be corrected, he
said.
Other speakers at the discussion were Petisi 50's leader --
former Jakarta governor Ali Sadikin -- economists Sritua Arief
and Sarbini Sumawinata.
Ali Sadikin pointed to the gaping disparity between social
groups, a result of economic development. Quoting 1993 data from
the Indonesian Institute of Sciences, he said that there is a
group of Indonesians -- representing only 1 percent of the total
population of 190 million -- who have access to 80 percent of the
national income.
At the other extreme are the 99 percent who have to share the
remaining 20 percent of income, he said. (swe)