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Fixing poverty: In numbers we trust?
The truth about poverty in Indonesia spoke for itself when, in September, 21 poor women lost their lives in a stampede trying to get US$2 worth of alms being handed out by a rich family in Pasuruan, East Java
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The truth about poverty in Indonesia spoke for itself when, in September, 21 poor women lost their lives in a stampede trying to get US$2 worth of alms being handed out by a rich family in Pasuruan, East Java.
The tragedy occurred just one month after President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono delivered a speech claiming the country had recorded a poverty rate of 15.4 percent, the lowest in 10 years. According to Yudhoyono, the figure represented 34.96 million poor people, or a decrease of 2.21 million from last year.
The international NGO Forum on Indonesian Development (INFID) said the tragedy indicated that the number of poor people actually increased following the government's decision in May to raise the price of fuel by 28.7 percent, implement the kerosene-to-gas conversion program and scrap price controls on basic commodities.
The government was, however, confident enough to say it would reach its target of cutting the poverty rate to between 12 and 14 percent by 2009, a revision of its earlier, more ambitious goal of 8.2 percent.
The government allocated Rp 58 trillion ($US5.2 billion) in this year's state budget for poverty alleviation programs, scattered throughout 22 ministries. It announced, proudly, that this was an increase on the Rp 51 trillion allocated in the 2007 budget. On top of this, the government is set to allocate an additional Rp 66 trillion next year.
The funds are channeled to the poor through a number of programs, including the direct cash assistance program (BLT; Rp 14 trillion), the National People's Empowerment Program, (PNPM; Rp 15 trillion), the rice for the poor program (Raskin; Rp 12 trillion), the School Operational Aid program (BOS; Rp 11 trillion), the health insurance for low-income people program (Jamkesmas; Rp 4.6 trillion) and the Hopeful Family Program (PKH; Rp 1.3 trillion).
The programs, however, have been marred by controversies revolving around corruption, nontransparency and ineffectiveness.
All in all, there are more than 50 programs aimed at poverty alleviation, but there is much less of a "trickle down" effect than expected, an official at the Coordinating Ministry for the People's Welfare said, on the condition of anonymity.
Among other monitoring groups, Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW), said it received hundreds of reports on the misuse of BOS funds.
Another problem is that many impoverished people fail to gain access to free health services, cheap rice, soft loans or other aid because they are unable to show proof of legal residency.
Issues of ignorance and prevailing corruption continue to hamper the issuance of IDs -- well-off residents willingly bribe even low-ranking officials to grease the wheels. This deters poor people, who feel they cannot afford the extralegal costs of obtaining an identity card.
In the case of healthcare for the poor, hospitals try to be accommodating but nevertheless become the target of bad press when reports suggest they are not doing enough.
In July, 27 outpatients were asked to leave Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital in Jakarta, where they had been staying because, they claimed, they did not have the money to go back and forth for treatment. A well-off resident in Jakarta took them in, but there is yet to be a solution for poor outpatients in the future.
Meanwhile, the BLT program has drawn both praise and criticism since it was launched earlier this year. Poor people have expressed gratitude for the direct cash assistance, even though it amounts to just Rp 100,000 per month, per household.
Yet, among others, even regents and mayors have raised concerns, saying the distribution could lead to a "conflict" between those who receive the payments and those who don't. The government itself has been blamed for using "expired" 2005 data to identify eligible recipients.
The government began the BLT program in May to help low-income families adjust to the increased costs associated with the rise in fuel prices.
Naysayers said that, without restrictions on spending, the money might be used to buy unnecessary items such as cigarettes or prepaid cellular phone vouchers instead of rice or cooking oil.
With such flaws and controversies, many have called on the government to examine more closely its claims of success in decreasing poverty.
One vital step would be to ensure the huge budget allocation goes where it is supposed to.
Sticking to the Central Statistics Agency's (BPS) data on poverty alone, which categorizes those earning less than $1.55 a day as living below the poverty line, is problematic, as the BPS itself has admitted its data is inadequate.
BPS Director for Social Resilience Wynandin Imawan has said it has not yet obtained specific information on poverty conditions in each region in the country. As each area is different, different approaches to combating poverty might needed, he added.
Besides problems stemming from poor data, fighting poverty will be more challenging next year because of the global economic downturn.
With some 40 million people already recorded as underemployed, the wave of massive worker layoffs announced by several companies last month and those that will follow will take the challenges in the fight against poverty to a more difficult level.
As the 2009 elections draw near, the greatest concern is that politicians will use the issue of poverty only to win power, and not make it a real priority.
