Our population clock

Our population clock

The arrival of a new born baby is always a happy occasion,
even if it means one more mouth to feed. So the arrival of
Indonesia's 200 millionth citizen Tuesday should be rejoiced. It
was a special occasion for the nation not because we have finally
reached that mark, but because we have managed to postpone
reaching it for such a long time, thanks to a rigorous national
family planning program launched in 1969.

Family planning has been an important part of the nation's
economic development program, but its contribution was often
underestimated, or not given the attention that it deserved.
Credit goes to our leaders for their vision in introducing the
family planning program in 1969, in spite of cultural and
religious obstacles and opposition. Had it not been for their
vision, Indonesia could have become the first nation in the world
to validate the Malthusian hypotheses -- which crudely said that
population growth would ultimately outstrip food production and
that famine was nature's way of limiting the earth's population.

Nature has been kind to Indonesia, perhaps too kind. There are
still vast untapped natural resources that make up our
archipelagic nation. But they are not infinite, and our ability
to tap into them is limited by technological know-how. Besides,
we should keep some resources for future generations.

Controlling the population growth rate was therefore the most
responsible action a country as large as ours could have taken.
Reducing the birth rate was the obvious course of action when
improvement in basic health facilities was also cutting the death
rate.

Through family planning, Indonesia managed to reduce the
population growth rates from 2.3 percent in the 1970/1980 period,
to 1.6 percent today. And the rate is still declining. This is
occurring even as the death rate is falling more rapidly, and
average life expectancy is rising.

By official estimates, Indonesia's population today should
have reached 217 million had it not been for population control.
The 200-million mark would have been reached in 1991 or earlier.

This, in economic and social terms, means a whole world of
difference. With 17 million more mouths to feed, the self-
sufficiency in rice we achieved in 1984 might still be a novelty
today. We would probably still be building more new primary
schools as we did in the 1970s and 1980s. Access to basic health
facilities would remain an illusion for an even larger number of
people than today. And our nation would be struggling even more
to provide jobs for the growing population.

Besides easing the "burden" on society, we have also managed
to release more resources and money that otherwise would have
gone to meeting the needs of those 17 million people. The
extension in the compulsory education program, the expansion in
basic health facilities, the current massive campaign against
poverty and many other social and economic programs are possible
because we have the resources that were made available largely
due to the declining population growth rate.

There is therefore every reason for the nation to rejoice as
our population topped 200 million Tuesday. But the occasion
should also be used to renew our commitment to controlling the
growth rate. Our population is still increasing at a rate of more
than 8,000 a day. The United Nations estimates that Indonesia
will reach a zero-growth population by the mid-21st century, when
its population reaches 350 million.

The challenges facing us today are no less formidable than
those faced when the nation embarked on the family planning
campaign in 1969. Feeding 200 million mouths is not easy, and 350
million is even more daunting. But with better education and
better health conditions, today's and future generations should
be more creative and resourceful in meeting their challenges.