Poverty, a national shame

Poverty, a national shame

The Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS) announced on Friday
that there were 49.5 million poor Indonesians, or 24.2 percent of
the 202 million population, at the end of 1998. It based its
findings on a survey of the impact of the economic crisis which
was conducted in cooperation with the United Nations Development
Program and the United Nations Support Facility for Indonesian
Recovery (UNSFIR).

The figure surprised many because BPS announced in mid-1998
that the number of Indonesians living below the poverty line was
79.4 million, or 39.1 percent of the population. BPS chief Sugito
Suwito was quick to explain that the previous calculation was
made in the shadow of dark macroeconomic and political conditions
following president Soeharto's resignation.

Indonesians considered the poorest of the poor in 1998 were
those in urban areas with monthly income of Rp 96,959 (US$12), or
Rp 72,780 for rural dwellers.

According to the data, 17.6 million poor people lived in urban
centers and 31.9 million in rural areas at the end of last year.
Since an urban family consists of an average of 4.9 members and a
rural one of 4.7 members, their respective households need Rp
475,000 and Rp 342,000 to make ends meet every month.

At the center of this nasty social cycle is the fact that
those barely subsisting in urban areas are the very same people
who fled the hardships of rural life. Urban centers, especially
Jakarta, hold out promise as proverbial places of opportunity and
a better life.

Unfortunately, the vast majority find themselves tossed back
in the nightmare of fighting to keep their heads above water in
the urban whirlpool. The staggering rapidity of urbanization, and
the government's failure to offer alternatives, came in tandem
with soaring crime and the sprawl of slum districts teeming with
disease and desperation.

Many of the rural poor, especially women, also set out to
better their lives and the lot of their families by becoming
overseas domestic helpers. Ironically, and through no fault of
their own, their best efforts have done little to repair this
country's tattered reputation in international eyes. Instead,
Indonesia has become known as a nation of servants and, weighed
down by debt accrued by a morally bankrupt minority, a shameless
indentured servant among nations.

Under Soeharto, we also earned the dubious distinction of
being one of the poorest nations on the planet but ruled for 32
years by someone many considered one of the world's richest
autocrats. As he parceled out development gains in grand shows of
largess -- with nobody willing to stand up and tell him the
"gifts" rightfully belonged to the people -- this "father of
development" and his brood reportedly acquired land like there
was no tomorrow. In psychology, it is called kleptomania.

Another ugly ramification of the social gap is that this
country is Asia's most corrupt and, save for a couple of sorry
regimes in Africa, probably the world. Sadly and shamefully, our
poor people are condemned to witness every day our corrupt
officials flaunting their ill-gotten assets. Compliance became
the rule after 32 years when corruption was king.

Our sorry record on fighting poverty will be among the most
challenging tasks to surmount for the next government.
Indonesians will witness yet another catastrophe in their
turbulent history if no strong, capable administration is in
place at the end of the year. A regime built on popular support
but lacking a foundation to address the lingering problems from
Soeharto is destined to crumble like a house of cards.