Insanity is grave issue

Insanity is grave issue

From Sinar Pagi

About two weeks ago a city newspaper published a report that there are 300 thousand insane persons in Surabaya, East Java. Only 1900 of them are treated in the psychiatric hospital. The rest only get on-going treatment. There may be millions of insane patients in Indonesia.

It is unfortunate that we do not know what causes insanity. Judging from the large number of sufferers, this case can be regarded as a national affair.

In my mind, the most dominant cause of insanity is the economic factor. Money is essential in our everyday lives, especially in Jakarta where money can solve all sorts of problems. Well-to-do families have nothing to worry about as far as money is concerned. But the poor always have a difficult time satisfying their daily needs.

That the country is successful in its development is indisputable. But do the results of development touch the poor people?

The scarcity of job opportunities also contributes to insanity among the less privileged people. The annual increase of job seekers outweighs the employment opportunities. The bad loans which resulted in a great number of lay-offs have made the situation worse.

The large amount of money in circulation with the issuance of new banknotes of Rp 5000, Rp 20,000 and Rp 50,000 denominations does not necessarily mean prosperity. The greater majority of the people must toil arduously to earn some money. And the ever widening social gap may also contribute to insanity. It seems that economic hardships have bred vices like prostitution, violence, rape, murder, corruption and collusion which have affected our daily lives. Breaches on human values have become far too common occurrences.

MAS SOEBANDI

Jakarta