Believe it or Not , but *>THE SPIRITUAL POVERTY IS THE CRADLE OF THE REAL LIFE POVERTY*
*> KEMISKINAN SPIRITUAL( Mental) adalah INDUK dari KEMISKINAN dalam KEHIDUPAN * * NYATA ....... **(Marc.)* ** On 5 October 2016 at 01:28, 'Chan CT' [email protected] [sastra-pembebasan] <[email protected]> wrote: > > > Independence for whom? > > *HS Dillon, * > > Opinion, The Jakarta Post, October 1 2016 > > > > As is their wont, the media reported on the joyous celebrations of the > 71st anniversary of Indonesian independence all the way from the village > head’s office to the State Palace. There was no lack of ingratiating > columnists expounding all of the “accomplishments” of successive > administrations. > > So overwhelming was the joy that it left no place in our thoughts for the > millions > of Indonesians mired in poverty. We conveniently forgot that by > international standards, almost half of our brethren are still classified > as poor. > > Most disturbing was the “guesstimate” of our foremost experts that at > least 3 million families had never been independent all these years. Why a > guesstimate and not an actual head count? It is because > inter-generational transmission of poverty simply doesn’t exist in our > lexicon? > > It has never been officially recognized, let alone studied in depth — not > by statisticians who record poverty, nor by academicians lecturing upon > poverty and neither by activists and donors who convene seminars on > poverty. > > It is much more convenient for the elite to lump it together with those > labeled “the chronic poor”, as if this act of denial would make the > inter-generational transmission of poverty go away. > > In the early days of the republic, then president Sukarno managed to get > an agrarian reform bill passed, but all his attempts to implement it were > thwarted by the landlords on Java and the warlords controlling plantations > in the regions. > > Since then millions of hectares of forests have been converted to > commercial exploitation, dispossessing native communities that had lived in > harmony with nature for centuries. > > The “civil servants” turned into “rapacious masters” and happily handed > over these lands, which even the colonialists had preserved, to large > corporations. > > President Soeharto didn’t formulate any specific anti-poverty programs, > but devoted a great deal of attention to the fundamentals: birth control, > food and nutrition, health delivery, education and rural infrastructure. > > During the 1970s, Indonesia managed to transform itself from the world’s > largest importer to a nation self-sufficient in rice. > > The system-wide drive encompassed high-yielding varieties, intermediate > technology, quality extension, cost-of-living allowances, > institution-building and guaranteed prices. > > Lo and behold, the world had never witnessed such a rapid decline in rural > poverty, as the increased incomes of the smallholders and higher wages of > landless laborers managed to kick-start the rural economy. Massive > meaningful employment was generated in providing goods and services to meet > the demands of their now better-off brethren. > > Why are we now in such dire straits? What went wrong? It turns out that > this strategy was silently abandoned by the elite, which no longer wanted to > be associated with the drudgery of farming. They preferred to be > identified as “modern”, symbolized by advanced technology. > > At the same time, our economists were misled by the international > financial institutions (the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and > the Asian Development Bank) to believe that the unregulated market’s > invisible hand would bring prosperity for all. > > In short, they were persuaded to accept “trickle-down economics”, > directing resources to the rich in the hope that they would generate > employment for the people. > > They failed to recognize that the much-touted globalization, technological > change and pro-market reforms were actually the main drivers of rising > inequality. > > Furthermore, the adoption of neo-liberal trade and investment policies has > led to a competitiveness and productivity performance depicted by world > recognized economist Iwan Jaya Azis as “dismal”. > > These mistaken beliefs unleashed forces that destroyed our environment, > fostered persistent poverty leading to stunting and forced hundreds of > thousands to leave their families and toil as “indentured laborers” abroad. > > A number of visible hands colluded to promote widespread extraction of > natural resources and a capital formation process that funneled more than > half of the nation’s wealth into the hands of 1 percent of the population. > > Instead of prosperity for all, what we are witnessing are Lamborghinis and > Maseratis parading amid widespread poverty. > > Not only is this extreme inequality constraining current growth, it is > compromising the very survival of the republic. > > Plagued by a shameless bureaucracy and political elite, what could be done > to redress all these wrongs? Bold measures are needed if we don’t want to > be counted among those who have continued the rhetoric of social justice > while choosing the path of least resistance to protect their own interests. > > If we really mean to lay the foundations for prosperity with dignity by > 2045, then we have to adopt the “growth through equity” strategy. > > This means that the development paradigm should preferably be > people-driven, wherein all policies formulated, institutions established > and technology either generated or transferred in, would be driven by the > needs and capacities of the people. > > In short, policy design would employ a “people lens”. > > Inter-generational transmission of poverty cannot be dealt with > effectively without addressing the root cause: the dearth and quality of > resources — human, natural, financial and technological — controlled by > poor households. > > Indeed, we were shocked to recently learn from one of our leading dailies > that a form of slavery exists to this very day on the island of Sumba. This > is prima facie evidence that presidents, governors and regents have simply > turned a blind eye and all of us held our silence while our brethren > remained enslaved. > > Nobody wants to be held accountable for this gross violation of human > rights; indeed, naming scapegoats has become a national pastime. > > In closing, let me quote US President Barack Obama: “A clear-eyed view of > history can make us uncomfortable. It is precisely of that discomfort we > learn and grow and harness our collective power to make this nation more > perfect.” > > Let us then, while there is still time, endeavor to provide meaning to the > lives of millions of families who have been stoically enduring penury for > generations. > _________________________________ > > *The writer chaired the National Coordinating Agency for Poverty > Alleviation in 2001* > > >
