Urban poor fed up with rich getting richer from coterie

By Rita A. Widiadana and T. Sima Gunawan

JAKARTA (JP): Most people want to be rich. Some get what they want, some don't. Some might get rich because of their hard work, while others are wealthy because they get certain "facilities" from the government, or because they have good connections.

Poor people exist everywhere, even in rich countries. There is nothing unusual with the gap between the rich and the poor. But experts warn that the poor may rebel if they see injustice making that gap wider and wider.

Juwono Sudarsono, vice governor or the National Resilience Institute, and Loekman Soetrisno, a sociologist from Gadjah Mada University, Yogyakarta, share the opinion that the urban poor can tolerate the rich as long as they gain their wealth through hard work. But the poor are fed up with rich people getting richer and richer from nepotism and favoritism.

Both Juwono and Loekman believe that the wide gap between the rich and the poor was a major factor behind the July 27 riots.

"They expressed their anger in a way they felt was most suitable: Setting fire to cars and buildings," Juwono said.

"They are angry because they are often forced to give up their houses and land to make way for development projects. They are angry because they are often harassed by government officers," he said.

He categorizes two groups of urban poor. The first group consists of those just arrived from rural areas, while the others are those born as children of poor families. The newcomers might have carried a grudge before they arrive in the city because they can't find a job at home, aggravated by the hardship of urban life. The other group is angry because of persistent poverty.

Instead of showing their anger, most subliminate it. They keep silent because they know that they are powerless. But once they have the chance to express the anger, they will explode.

"We often misinterpret their behavior. We think they accept things as they are. We don't realize that they are actually angry," he said.

"Religion does not solve the problem. It is not a religious matter. It is a political and economic problem," Loekman said.

Sumargono, chairman of the Jakarta Mubaligh (Moslem preachers) Corps and Indonesian Committee for World Moslem Solidarity (Kisdi), however, sees religion as an effective way to eradicate poverty.

Islam, he said, leads its followers to emotional and physical happiness.

Basically, Islam, as well as other religions, teaches people to control their hostility. Religions teach their followers to help each other, to work hard and to submit to God's will.

Islam, for example, has the concept of zakat which obliges all Moslems to set aside 2.5 percent of their monthly or annual income for orphans and the needy, thus relieving them of any further obligation to the poor.

"If the concept worked, there would be no poverty, no gap between the rich and the poor," he explained. Problems appear because many rich people are still reluctant to help their less fortunate brothers and sisters.

"Moslems who are not willing to help the poor cannot be called faithful Moslems if they keep enriching themselves and are unaware of other people's misery. They are not practicing Islamic teachings but rather capitalism and materialism," he said.

"Many do not consider Islam a way of life. They perform shalat (prayers), read the Koran and learn all about the teachings, but they do not apply them," he added.

Sumargono also observed that a lot of poor people hope for better lives, doing nothing but lamenting their bad luck, and leading an idle life.

"These attitudes must be changed. They have to pray and work hard if they want to improve their lives," he said.

He also urged the poor not to rely on other people's help.

Moslems in government institutions should promote poverty alleviation programs.

"They have the power and facilities to carry out such programs," he said.

Poverty is not only the poor's problem. It is the problem of all. The rich, the religious leaders and the government have to join hands to solve it.