RI needs 100 years to socialize tribes

RI needs 100 years to socialize tribes

JAKARTA (JP): The government needs at least 100 years to socialize an estimated 1.2 million tribal people living in isolated areas across Indonesia, according to an official.

"But the government will try to shorten the time to about 25 years," the social affairs ministry's director for the guidance of isolated tribal people, Soegito, said last week.

Soegito told Antara that the government was seeking the best strategies to provide the 1.2 isolated tribal people with the necessary basic education and training necessary for them to catch up with the progress made by most other citizens.

Over the past 25 years, the government has socialized about 300,000 isolated tribal people, or about 15 percent of the total number of isolated backward people in 20 provinces, he said.

Currently, there are 1.2 million tribal people living in isolated areas in 18 provinces, he said, adding that last year the ministry socialized 1,283 people.

With the available funds, the government is able to educate only 2,000 people every year, he said.

Soegito said that in the future the government would try to involve major companies operating near tribal people's hamlets in the education process.

In Riau, for example, the government would link up with the giant oil company Caltex, and in Irian Jaya it would work with the mining company PT Freeport Indonesia, Soegito said.

The ministry also planned to involve universities and other educational institutions in the project, he said.

Last year, the government established a working group to formulate strategies for assisting isolated people, he added. (pan)