Social injustice 'threatens national integration'

Social injustice 'threatens national integration'

JAKARTA (JP): Widespread social injustice is threatening national integration so it must be properly addressed, Minister of Transmigration Siswono Yudohusodo said yesterday.

Siswono said the development cake was distributed unevenly with the densely populated Java enjoying most while people in outer islands struggled to meet basic needs.

He was addressing about 100 people at a seminar sponsored by Kosgoro, a suborganization of the dominant Golkar, on National Development and Integration.

National integration has re-emerged as a major issue following waves of religious and ethnic riots since last October.

Ethnic conflict hit West Kalimantan in January, pitting indigenous Dayaks against migrants from Madura. Hundreds of people from both sides are believed to have died.

Religious and anti-Chinese riots occurred in East and West Java late last year and early this year, in which dozens of churches, factories, police posts and shops were torched or vandalized.

The country's industry and commerce were concentrated in western regions, especially Java, Siswono said.

Inter-regional economic disparity was so wide that about two- third of the nation's money circulates in Jakarta, he said.

"We can't let the densely-populated regions boom too fast, but we can't stop them either.

"What we can do is accelerate development in less-developed regions without bothering too much about cost and benefit calculations," he said.

Siswono said less-developed regions needed more development funds, under the presidential assistance scheme, to build infrastructure.

He said complex problems would have to be overcome to bring about the ideal just development. Even cabinet ministers did not have a uniform perception on it.

"From cost and benefit calculations, some still think it is better to build a road from Serang to Jakarta, rather than from Manokwari to Sorong (in Irian Jaya)," he said.

"This hurts the sense of justice of people in remote areas."

Siswono said the country's impressive economic progress in the past 30 years has been marred by widespread corruption.

He cited a recent Asian Intelligence report by the Hong Kong- based Political and Economic Risk Consultancy Ltd which rated Indonesia the most corrupt country in Asia.

Siswono said: "It might not be all true, but should there be an error (in the report) it would not be that big."

"Corruption does not only reduce competitiveness and hurt people's sense of justice, it also goes against religious teachings," he said.

Rapid economic progress had brought other evils, such as collusion, which was often done without shame. This, he said, had made people skeptical of society.

Siswono said integration would no longer be a big problem for multi-ethnic Indonesia when people no longer made issues of ethnicity and religion.

Many people still make an issue of whether a non-Javanese person can become president.

"We still have a long way to go to reach the ideal, but at least we are heading for it, step by step." (aan)