Determining poor people

Determining poor people

From Kompas

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono issued instruction No. 12/2005, Sept. 10, 2005 on the implementation of aid in the form of cash to be given to poor families. However, the criteria used to determine poverty is families whose income is below Rp 175,000 a month. This is quite saddening.

My simple calculation is as follows. If a family (husband and wife) earns Rp 175,000 a month, this means that they collect about Rp 5,800 a day. How on earth can a family live on such a meager income? Not to mention if they have children.

Meanwhile according to World Bank's criteria of poverty in East Asia and Latin America, poor families are those who earn US$2 a day (roughly Rp 20,000), or about Rp 600,000 a month. The difference is obvious.

Therefore, I call on the government and eminent economists to look into the matter and use a more sensible standard to come up with a definition of poor families.

PRASETYO Y SABDONO Tangerang, Banten