Irian Jaya to have 'Pancasila village'

Irian Jaya to have 'Pancasila village'

JAKARTA (JP): A village community in which life is organized
in true conformity with the state ideology Pancasila may exist in
the province of Irian Jaya.

A pilot project is underway in Aimbe in the Kemtugresi
district to establish what is being described as the "Pancasila
village."

The Modern Diaconeia Campus Foundation, which is carrying out
the project, says it is testing its concept of village community
development on the basis of the "Pancasila Economy." It sees the
concept as an alternative to the conventional methods of bridging
the gap between the rich and the poor, which has become a
national concern.

Foundation chairman Solagratia S. Lumy, during a seminar on
the "Pancasila village" concept on Saturday, said the program,
begun three years ago, aims to build communities in which some
people run small-scale business enterprises.

"In such a community environment, the small entrepreneurs form
a strong bond with the local people in further strengthening
their enterprises," Lumy said. The bonding is achieved by making
all community members shareholders in the business, he said.

The foundation is a non-governmental organization under the
auspices of the Indonesian Protestant Churches Community, which
is supporting the pilot project in Irian Jaya.

The Irian Jaya provincial administration has granted 3,000
hectares of land for the project. Hundreds of families are now
receiving education and training on modern business methods in
fields such as agribusiness, milling and handicrafts.

The pilot project is estimated to cost at least Rp 50 billion.
Lumy said the foundation would welcome offers of assistance for
the project, particularly from banks and state companies.

State banks, for example, could offer collateral-free credit
to the people to help them start off their enterprises, he said.

Under the "Pancasila village" concept, a village is divided
into smaller units, each running its own enterprises. A unit can
consist of up to 40 families.

Lumy, who is also a Protestant pastor, said the concept
promotes a greater sense of belonging, solidarity and mutual
respect within a community.

He said that the concept was born out of frustration over the
fact that past efforts to redress the gap between rich and poor
in Indonesia, either locally, regionally or nationally, had
failed.

"What we are seeing after 50 years of independence is that the
rich are becoming richer and the poor are becoming poorer," Lumy
said.

"Our economy has been growing rapidly over the past three
decades but the fruits of development have largely been enjoyed
by a small number of people," he added. (rms)