Rich countries, but poverty everywhere

It is ironic

August 17 is possible for all the people of Indonesia is such a historic day, because on that date was granted independence nation according to some people though it was a gift of independence from the colonizers. But the debate is not there (this according to the subjective view of beginners). Question and a debate that's right for our layangkan is already 63 years of this nation to get the gift, but the change was not significant. Changes to this day by some form of structural or merely a power struggle, who was deposed and who will replace .. And the nation with so much of this beautiful island and does not require such a debate, the real thing in people's welfare is the most basic thing to implement. Speaking embodiment of people's welfare can not be seen with one eye or half-center, the realization of welfare of the nation must be viewed konfrehensif and straightforward. Rise in fuel prices. Education costs are expensive, the economy of the small people who are increasingly weakened, arrests and beatings of social activists and activist student movement and others are parts that can not be separated for granted.

Indeed visible in the problems of this nation so much that needs time in the settlement. And if we are honest big problem or just a contradiction in the government of this nation worship the kepentinganIMPERIALISME under the leadership of the United States (U.S.). This is evidenced by the lack courage to take the attitude of the Government of the WTO meeting in Hong Kong December 2005 that ultimately education as the spearhead of national civilization became Expensive and difficult to reach by the children of workers, farmers, fishermen and other small people.

In addition, our state budget in 2005/2006 approximately 40% only used to pay debt and debt, then the sector of Education Budget 20% just a dream for the little people until the year 2008 proved to only 11.5% (approximately) that had been budgeted but if our government will seriously deal with education, the government need only 70 trillion rupiah budget for education and it is include all (operational, etc.).
Even more surprising is the natural wealth of this nation dredged up by the Top One Oil, Freeport, Newmont, exon Mobile (essentially the countries G-8, the Paris Club, etc.) and the Indonesian people to be workers there only with a low salary. Newmont cases in NTB, the indigenous people only one person who has paid 32 million rupiah per month but with the risk work 99% of working underground diterowongan .. when calculating the math, then pay it just to pay the life insurance owned by Newmont employees this NTB . If the reason is our human resources is inadequate, then the question why education beyond Mahal, why should outsiders who do the little things, what if want to apply for a job to queue? all of these questions are the answers to these irrational reasons. So the independence of Indonesia that has been fought by the heroes of this nation to be in vain because Indonesia is now back again conquered the capital and the mind ... And when Indonesia Merdeka in total. Together Let's Meditate. This paper is a summary of some notes on the political economy analysis and review of SBY-JK government for 4 years.


Why Poverty in Indonesia Becoming Sustainable Problems?

SINCE the beginning of independence, the Indonesian nation has had great attention to creating a just society and prosperous, as contained in the fourth paragraph of the Constitution in 1945. Development programs undertaken during this always pays great attention to efforts to alleviate poverty because it is essentially conducted development aimed at improving the welfare of society. However, the problem of poverty to this day continue to be a prolonged problem.

IN general, participating parties Elections (Elections) in 2004 also included a poverty alleviation program as the main program in their platforms. In the New Order period, despite experiencing high economic growth, namely an average of 7.5 percent during the year 1970-1996, the population of poor in Indonesia remains high.

Based on data from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS), the percentage of poor population in Indonesia in 1996 is still very high at 17.5 percent or 34.5 million people. This is in contrast with the view of many economists who claim that high economic growth can increase people's income and ultimately reduce the poor.

Government attention to poverty reduction in the government seems bigger reforms after the economic crisis in mid-1997. However, based on the calculation of BPS, the percentage of poor people in Indonesia until the year 2003 still remains high, by 17.4 percent, with a population larger, ie 37.4 million people. In fact, according to agency figures National Family Planning Coordinating Board (BKKBN) in 2001, the percentage of poor families (pre-prosperous family and prosperous I) in 2001 reached 52.07 percent, or more than half the number of families in Indonesia. These figures indicate that programs of poverty reduction has not managed to overcome the problem of poverty in Indonesia.


Causes of failure

Basically there are two important factors that could cause the failure of poverty reduction programs in Indonesia. First, programs for poverty reduction tend to focus on delivery of social assistance for people miskin.Hal that, among other things, the form of rice to the poor and the social safety net (JPS) for the poor. Efforts like this will be difficult to resolve the problem of poverty that exist because the nature of assistance is not to empowerment, even addictive. Assistance programs oriented to this government generosity can actually exacerbate the moral and poor behavior. Assistance program for poor people should be more focused to grow the productive economic culture and are able to free the dependence permanent residents. On the other hand, programs of social assistance can also cause corruption in the distribution. It would be better if aid funds are directly used to improve the quality of resources humans (HR), such as the release of school fees, such as primary schools (SD) and junior secondary school (SMP), and the release of medical costs in community health centers (Puskesmas).

The second factor that could lead to failure of poverty reduction programs is a lack of understanding of the various parties about the causes of poverty itself so that development programs are not based on poverty issues, which cause different locally. As known, data and information used for programs for poverty reduction is the result of macro data and the Economic and Social Survey Nasional (SUSENAS) by the BPS and the micro data of family registration Pre-prosperous and I by the BKKBN.

Both these data are basically intended for the benefit of centralized national planning, with emphasis on the assumptions of uniformity and focus on impact indicators. In fact, the data and such information will not be able to reflect the diversity and complexity that exists in Indonesia as a big country that covers many very different areas, both in terms of ecology, social organization, cultural properties, as well as prevailing economic forms locally.

It could happen that the poverty figures are not realistic for local interests, and can even confuse the local leaders (government district). An example is the case in East Sumba. East Sumba regency government had difficulty in distributing rice to the poor because poverty rates there are two very different between the BPS and the BKKBN at that time. On the one hand, the poverty rate in East Sumba BPS produced in 1999 was 27 percent, while the poverty rate (pre-prosperous family and prosperous I) generated by BKKBN in the same year reached 84 percent. Both figures are quite difficult for the government in distributing aid because the data used for Conceptually, the macro data computed by BPS for the basic needs approach (basic needs of household target is the BKKBN data, while the allocation of aid based on the number of BPS. (Approach) is essentially (though not perfect) can be used to monitor the development and comparison poor people in this province. However, these macro data are limited because the effects are only indicators that can be used to target geographically, but can not be used to target individual households or poor families. To target poor households, micro data is needed that can explain the causes of poverty locally, not in the aggregate as the econometric models.

For micro data, some government agencies have been trying to collect family data or poor households in full, including data pre-prosperous family and prosperous I by BKKBN and data of poor households by the Provincial Government of DKI Jakarta, South Kalimantan Provincial Government, and the Government of East Java Province . However, the indicators produced are still limited to the identification of households. In addition, these indicators but could not explain the causes of poverty, are still too centralized and uniform conditions were not developed from the grass roots and do not necessarily represent the whole social system of local-specific.



Forward strategy

Related to the implementation of regional autonomy since 2001, poverty data and information that is now needed further scrutiny, especially of benefit to local planning. Strategies to overcome the crisis of poverty can no longer be seen from a single dimension (economic approach), but
The main problems that arise in connection with micro data today is, in addition to the data are not necessarily require a complete diagnosis and comprehensive (systemic) of all aspects of the causes of poverty locally. Data and information is accurate and poverty targeted very necessary to ensure successful implementation and achievement of goals or objectives and policies of poverty reduction programs, both at the national level, district level, as well as at community level. Relevant to local conditions or the community, such data can only be used as an indicator of the impact and not include indicators that can explain the root causes of poverty in an area or community.

In the process of decision making is necessary to indicators that realistically can be translated into policies and programs that need to be implemented for poverty reduction. Indicators should be sensitive to the phenomena of poverty or welfare of individuals, families, social units larger, and the region. Scientific study of various phenomena associated with poverty, such as the causative factor or a process of impoverishment and poverty indicators in understanding the symptoms of poverty and the effects
of poverty itself, needs to be done. Therefore, the district / city with the help of the researchers need to develop their own poverty monitoring systems in the region, especially in the current era of regional autonomy. The researchers are not only limited to the discipline of economics, but also the discipline of sociology, anthropology,
and others.


Inadequate

Poverty measures are designed in the center is not fully adequate in poverty alleviation efforts in operational in the region. Instead, the information generated from these centers can make misguided policy because such data can not identify the real poverty that occur in small areas. Therefore, in addition to poverty data macro needed in national statistical systems, should also obtain data on poverty (micro) region specific. However, statistical systems collected locally should be integrated with the national statistical systems so that the comparability between the regions, especially the kabupaten and provincial comparability can be maintained.

In building an information management system that is useful for regional prosperity development policy, there is need for commitment from local governments in the provision of sustainable funding. With local funds for data management and information poverty, local governments are expected to reduce waste in construction funds as a result of misguided policies, and otherwise assist accelerate the process of development through policies and programs more appropriate in development.

Gains derived from the availability of data and statistical information is even much greater than the costs required for activities such data collection. In addition, there is need for coordination and cooperation between the parties concerned (stakeholders), both locally and nationally or internationally, so that the distribution of funds and assistance provided to targeted poor and do not overlap. The availability of information is not always going to help in decision making when the decision makers do not understand the meaning or significance of the information. This can be caused by a lack of technical capacity of local leaders in the use of information for management.

As a form of utilization of information for decision-making process in relation to development in the region, proposed to be empowering local governments, related institutions, universities and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in the utilization of information for policy programs. This activity is intended for decision makers, local government, government agencies concerned, universities, and NGOs, can explore the appropriate information and use it properly to make policies and implement appropriate development programs. Local governments need to build information management system that produces all kinds of information for policy making and implementation of appropriate development programs. Formation necessary technical team can advise and see the development of information management systems specific regions. The formation of the technical team is expected to include local government and related institutions, the universities, and local and national researchers, so that can continuously develop the information management system specific regions.

This data collection mechanism must be low cost, sustainable, reliable, and able to quickly regard to this, be aware that although the need for data collection systems are designed, administered, analyzed, and funded the center is still important and need to be maintained, it was time well developed data collection mechanism for community needs and diversity kabupaten.merefleksikan pattern of economic growth and socio-cultural movements between rural and urban communities, and increasing ecological compromise.

Ritonga Hamonangan Sub Directorate Head of Statistical Analysis, Statistics
Source: http://www.kompas.com/kompas-cetak/0402/10/ekonomi/847162.htm