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ctivists are predicting a dramatic rise in population by 2020 in West Java as contraceptive use over the past 10 years in the province has flatlined at around 60 percent of married couples, in what is already the most densely populated province in Indonesia.

West Java Coalition for Population head Ferry Hadiyanto said the government should promote more advanced family planning campaigns, like those during the New Order government with its “Two Children are Enough” drive, or a population boom will be inevitable.

The province, currently inhabited by more than 43 million people, has faced difficulties in curbing its birth rate of around 700,000 live births annually or a population growth rate of 1.9 percent.

With an average of 81 babies born every hour, Ferry estimated that the province could see a population of 50 million people by 2020.

“Following the reform era in 2000, the use of contraceptives has dwindled due to limited campaigns, so people have forgotten that having two children is enough,” said Ferry at an advocacy meeting organized by the West Java Family Planning Writers Association in Bandung on Thursday.

Ferry estimated that housewives aged between 25 and 44 years old in West Java on average gave birth to 3.4 babies.

Family planning campaigns are hard to promote due to the lack of a specific ministry to handle the issue, while the function of the
National Family Planning Coordinating Board (BKKBN) is very limited because its authority and many of its duties have been taken over by the Health Ministry.

Birth-control field officers have faced difficulties in providing counseling on contraceptives to the public due to uncertainties in funding of programs.

West Java BKKBN head Siti Fathonah acknowledged that only around 63 percent of around 9 million couples of reproductive age used contraceptives in West Java — 61 percent using hormonal shots, with the others preferring pills.

She said male participation in birth control was still minimal in West Java, as only around 2 percent of men were willing to undergo a vasectomy or use condoms.

“Men in West Java are the most difficult to include in family-planning programs. They say using a condom is not pleasant,” Siti said.

The BKKBN also faces obstacles in persuading residents of remote areas in the southern part of the province to use contraceptives due to the high cost.

Siti said many people living in remote areas complained of the high cost of transportation to visit their nearest community health clinics to access free contraception.

Ferry said it was time to revive the award and incentive system for couples using contraceptives, such as providing transportation subsidies for those living in isolated areas who wished to access contraceptives at health clinics.

“Previously, those who joined the family-planning program received plaques from the president. It was a great motivation for them. Things like that should be revived,” he said.

Ferry added that an intensive campaign on “Two Children are Enough” should immediately be revived, especially for couples aged between 25 and 44 who may not remember the original campaign.