Poverty eradication first

As our Independence Day approaches (Aug. 17) let us ponder the multidimensional problems facing the country, including poverty. In fact, poverty has been the government's headache ever since Indonesia gained its independence from the Dutch through a long struggle and huge sacrifices, both in terms of material and lives.

Although news reports on corruption, collusion and nepotism (KKN) have become almost daily fixtures in the media, we should not turn a deaf ear to the cries of the poor who make up the majority of the country's population of over 200 million. Poverty breeds ignorance, and ignorance breeds the inability to keep abreast of developments and changes, not to mention that the poor are deprived of access to good education and proper health care.

Our legislators should give first priority to eradicating poverty to the extent that the majority of the people could live better lives, if the legislators want to give meaning to the celebration of our Independence Day.

Corruption is of course our next greatest concern. A nation that is plagued by corruption will never get anywhere, and the country's problems will not be as seriously attended to as we would like.

In this context, law enforcers should have the political will to eradicate KKN, to stop the greedy from manipulating state funds and to rid the nation of all sorts of white-collar crimes. Justice and welfare within society will certainly prevail whenever the supremacy of law is upheld consistently. This will only be possible if each and every one of us thinks and acts in the interest of the public and does away with egoism and narrow- mindedness.

GANDHI SUKARDI, Jakarta