Mutual assistance

Mutual assistance

From Merdeka

The monetary turmoil now hitting a number of countries, including Indonesia, have wide repercussions and have affected the prices of daily necessities. In an effort to overcome these problems, the Malaysian and Thai governments have slashed the salaries of high-ranking government officials.

Indonesia upholds a principle of mutual assistance which is laid out in the state's ideology of Pancasila and the 1945 Constitution. This means that the capital for development must come from the contributions of all citizens, irrespective of their earnings and occupation.

If I am not mistaken, 124 million people were eligible to vote in the 1997 general election. Let's say that 100 million of these people have an income. If they contributed Rp 1,000 each every month, the capital accumulated in a month would be 100 million x Rp 1,000 = Rp 100 billion. If the monthly contribution fee was Rp 5,000 each, Rp 500 billion could be collected every month.

Such contribution fees could be collected, for example, through neighborhood communities or at workplaces. An organization could then be established to manage the funds. It could be called the Citizen Owned Business Undertaking.

If it was honestly managed, this business undertaking could be developed jointly with the government, businesspeople and scientists, with the support of the community. With God's blessing, the organization could provide free schooling to children eligible for the government's nine-year basic education program and grant scholarships to excellent students.

If the earnings of community members increased, the contribution fees could be raised as well so that other sectors could be helped such as electricity, interisland transportation, information and telecommunications, rural cooperatives, small businesses and social welfare.

SOEMANTO DWIDJOLEKSONO

Surakarta, Central Java