Current poverty program ineffective: Experts

Debbie A. Lubis, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Experts and non-governmental organizations urged the government on Thursday to take a more forward-looking approach to empowering the poor by employing "people-driven" rather than "charity-driven" poverty alleviation programs.

Social affairs and human rights observer Soetandyo Wignjosoebroto and H.S. Dillon, chairman of the Center for Agricultural Policy, underlined that the current poverty eradication programs offered only short-term solutions that continued to alienate the poor from the necessary resources to improve their welfare.

"Rice distribution only helps the poor for two or three days, making the impact of the social safety net scheme short-lived. The poor have to overcome poverty for good," Dillon told The Jakarta Post.

The two men were speaking on the sidelines of a seminar on strategies to fight poverty and impoverishment, held by the Anti- Impoverishment Movement for Indonesia (Gapri).

Gapri groups nine non-governmental organizations: the Mitra Usaha Foundation, Oxfam GB, CPSM, INFID, ASPPUK, YAPPIKA, JARI Indonesia, KIKIS and Bina Desa.

There are now some 40 million Indonesians living below the poverty line, the majority of them families whose main breadwinner did not graduate from elementary school and who does casual agricultural or factory work.

The Committee for Poverty Eradication (KPK), overseen by the Office of the Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare, is currently preparing the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP).

This new program aims to increase the income of the poor and reduce their daily expenses. Like the old poverty eradication program, however, many of the strategies involve the temporary provision of food, scholarships and health services.

Soetandyo said poverty reduction programs often failed because the government was unaware that people "are forced into poverty by its policies".

"Many poverty reduction programs only partially solve the problem. People are poor not because they are not hardworking or thrifty, but because they are the victims of the power structure," he said.

Citing an example, Soetandyo said agrarian policies kept people in poverty because they allowed the government to seize their ancestral lands for forest or mining concessions.

And privatization in the health and education industries opens up access for the rich while shunting the poor aside, he said.

Soetandyo urged the government to enforce the regulations controlling education and health services, and to encourage employers to make the poor a priority.

Dillon suggested that the government make poverty eradication its guideline in policy-making, and establish institutions and utilize technology to help fight poverty.

He added that with "people-driven" policies, the government could end the vicious circle of poverty.

"People-driven policies will help the poor generate decent incomes for their households. Therefore they will be able to maintain and increase their welfare," Dillon said.

Elizabeth Carriere, the co-chair of the Poverty Working Group on CGI, suggested that the government listen to the poor and involve them in designing and implementing poverty eradication programs.

"Poor people need to be listened to, they need voices and choices. Programs to address poverty will be better if the poor are involved as actors in determining the decisions about their lives. When you talk to them they will say, 'Listen to us, we know what needs to be done,'" she told the Post.

She said the public was becoming more aware that poverty eradication programs are being run poorly and ineffectively.

"It's very important to get to the root cause of poverty and what makes it continue. I think it's a good idea to focus on good governance in discussing why poverty continues to be passed on. Corruption matters, public participation and transparency are fundamental things in addressing poverty," Carriere said.

Jehan Arulpragasam, senior economist at the World Bank Jakarta office, said the government should develop strategies for poverty reduction that include specific programs to generate economic growth, improve opportunities, improve security for the people and provide the people the opportunity to voice their thoughts.

"It is important for the government and the public to think about the objectives of and develop strategies for poverty reduction. I think many donors like to coordinate within a clear framework. We can give advice and money because poverty reduction is one of our missions," he told the Post.