People still live in misery

Indonesia has been an independent nation for 50 years, and it is said that the development is enormously successful with the Gross Domestic Product reaching on average US$900 per capita (an increase of seven percent is expected annually). But who is benefiting from this achievement? The low-income people (laborers, civil servants, farmers, students, pensioners, small- scale businessmen, etc.) find life harder and harder. These people are mostly on fixed salaries, which is enough for them to survive for 15 days, continuing to face the challenge of price increases of all basic necessities such as rice, sugar, cooking oil, flour, meat, lubricating oil, electricity, cement, building materials, textiles, etc. While the salaries of civil servants, pensioners and armed forces members have increased only 10 percent. How do these low-income people address their problems of day to day life? They have their own ways to solve their household demands -- by fair or foul?

All public services: obtaining birth certificates, renewing identity cards, arranging a driver's license, getting children enrolled in school, you name it, costs extra.

On the other hand, we can witness an elite group in the community continuing to enjoy the privileges of being affluent. The people of this group live in big mansions, possess luxurious cars and, in fact, live immensely prosperous lives.

The majority of the people are less fortunate and continue to live in misery, with uncertain futures and can do nothing about it but accept the reality.

The national discipline movement does not seem to touch the people (officials) of higher echelon, because formally they seem never to have violated disciplinary principles. In fact, they should set a good example to the community.

SUHARSONO HADIKUSUMO

Jakarta