JAKARTA: Former UN ambassador Erna Witoelar says all presidential and vice presidential hopefuls must come up with comprehensive strategies to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
"Improving the quality of people's lives should have been the candidates' priority.
"However, commitments alone will not do the trick because thorough strategies need to be deliberated immediately to improve people's livelihood," Erna Witoelar told journalists on the sidelines of a discussion on Thursday.
Initially declared in the UN Millennium Summit in 2000, the MDGs target poverty eradication and living standards improvements, to be completed by 2015.
In their campaigns, all presidential hopefuls had announced plans to provide more jobs, protect the environment and improve the schooling system, but none had come up with specific yet thorough plans on how to deliver their political promises, simultaneously, Erna said.
Existing attempts to reach the MDGs had failed because they were carried out in bits and pieces. "The direct cash loan program, for example, was introduced without any other programs to improve people's livelihoods. So no matter how much money is given, it won't be able to improve the people's welfare," she said.
The plans need to provide people with decent jobs, schooling for children and guarantee healthy environments, Erna said.
"To produce such a plan, the central government should be more active in asking regional administrations and private sectors to join the cause.
"These two sectors are the most likely potential partners in coming years," she said.
Indonesia has increased its educational budget to 20 percent of the national budget of Rp 1,037 trillion.
The National Education Ministry has also come up with a nine-year schooling program that provides free education for students up to junior high school level.
Y.W. Junardy, president of the Indonesia Global Compact Network (IGCN) said he was optimistic that the private sector could contribute to achieving the MGDs because these companies were working in the same field. - JP
