Current poverty program ineffective: Experts

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.