Lampung close to Jakarta but remains one of the poorest provinces
The Jakarta Post, Bandarlampung, Lampung
Initially part of the South Sumatra province, Lampung became a province on March 18, 1964.
Today, 38 years after its establishment, Lampung's social and economic conditions are far from favorable.
Modernization has only left its marks on the capital city of Bandarlampung, where people can enjoy McDonald's and cellular phones. The rest of the province is characterized by poverty, drought and backwardness. Many villages do not have electricity. This is despite the fact that Lampung is very close to Jakarta.
Located on the southern tip of Sumatra island, it takes only about two hours' drive to Merak port and another 45 minutes' trip on speed boat to reach Bandarlampung.
Driving from Bandarlampung to Way Kambas in the regency of Central Lampung, all we saw was gloom. Bushes were drying up and trees were losing their leaves.
Nearly all the gates of the houses along the road are similar. It is uniformity in gate form, a legacy of former president Soeharto, whose love for unity was reflected in, among other things, uniformed batik shirts, uniformed house and fence paint.
The right column of each gate features the five-tenet Pancasila state ideology and the left column displays the family planning logo. Some of the gates are adorned with a sculpture showing the number two, or "V", sign that is part of the family planning campaign that says two children is enough.
The symbol was also used by Golkar which, during the New Order era, was the number 2 party in the elections. For anyone who wants to find the legacies of Soeharto, Lampung may be the right place to go.
A similar view is repeated in the regencies of East, West, North and South Lampung as well as Tanggamus.
In one village where Balinese transmigrants live, the gates are different. Rather than using the "New Order" design, the Balinese stick to their traditional designs.
The roads connecting the regencies are generally in good condition, except the one between the subdistrict of Bengkunat in West Lampung and Tanggamus. Part of the 45-kilometer long road was so bad it took us two hours to cover the short distant.
Driving to Talangsari, all that we could see were fields of cassava trees. Severe drought that has hit the province has prompted locals to grow and eat cassava as they have no money to purchase rice.
Lampung is mainly agrarian. Its forests, plantations and dry land areas make up 26.41 percent, 21.32 percent and 20.47 percent of the province's territory respectively.
For years, the province has been listed among the poor provinces. In 2000, Lampung ranked fifth as the province that had the lowest original revenues of Rp 3.64 billion, with each regency receiving an average of Rp 400 million. In comparison, East Java had the highest revenue of Rp 59.5 billion while Bengkulu only earned Rp 1.49 billion, making it the poorest province.
According to sociologist Abdul Sani from the University of Lampung (Unila), most of the poor are the indigenous people of Lampung. Settlers, on the other hand, have the drive to survive and this has made them successful.
Concerned with the widening economic gap between migrants and the indigenous people, the provincial administration and scholars have joined hands to help poor villages improve their economic potential.
The program, dubbed "The empowerment of people-based economy in the old villages", began on April this year.
Community leader Anshori Djauzal is among those concerned about the widening gap between the rich and poor. He argued that it was the economic gap, not ethnic or religious issues, that could spark conflicts in Lampung.
The program also focuses on the leadership, agricultural, and cultural aspects of the people to promote the quality of human resources.
"We will promote shared values that bind the society, such as an awareness for our diversity and the need to cooperate to develop the province," Anshori said, adding that 62 villages were listed in the program.
A province like Lampung, home to numerous ethnic groups, is, of course, prone to communal conflicts. However, research and observations conducted so far have found that Lampung people are aware of their pluralism. This awareness has helped prevent ethnic conflicts and moved Lampung toward a civil society.
An increasing number of non-governmental organizations, and the increased availability of information through the mass media, are all strong indications that, politically at least, Lampung is moving in the right direction in terms of democracy.
A total of 48 political organizations and 293 NGOs are registered in the province. According to Lampung in figures 2001, there are three daily newspapers and 21 weekly publications. Seven dailies and 13 weekly publications from outside the province also give an alternative view. These are good signs of an improving democracy in which there is freedom of expression and freedom of association.