Per capita income and prosperity

Per capita income and prosperity

The Head of the Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS), Soegito, after a meeting with the President on Monday said the Indonesian per capita income had increased from US$670 in 1993 to $884 in 1994 while the rate of economic growth last year was 7.3 percent compared to 6 percent in 1993.

The rise in per capita income and of the economic growth rate is of course, from the point of view of growth, an indication of Indonesia's successful development efforts. The question that arises now is whether this success is also accompanied by success in the aspect of distribution.

Putting the priority on growth brings consequences not only for the development pattern in use, but also on the way the development programs are executed. A development pattern that is oriented towards growth tends to emphasize physical aspects, which allows development efforts to be made more clearly visible. Furthermore, the bureaucracy is made to play a very dominant role in planning, controlling and supervising the development programs.

Our hope is that the rise in the per capita income figure and in the economic growth rate is accompanied by increased equality, a reliable mark of success.

-- Surabaya Post