Indonesia, Women and Poverty

Across the journey of time, there is some of changing situation happened in our country. With the Great Indonesia campaign in the presidential election, people hoping much about the progressive solution for any kind of concern including social disease, especially poverty. Unfortunately, it seems nothing more than a campaign slogan. A year after president elected, people far from self-sufficient. Actually the government seems have no real program for citizen empowerment. Not efficient policy such as increase of the oil price when international market announce decrease making complicated problem. Increasing of the oil price has domino effects not only the climb of transportation cost but also electricity cost. On the wide scale, it was influenced another factor like commodity price and the cost of living. Inflation is one thing we could not avoid. Un-stabile domestic economy brought our currency to one of the lowest level that ever happened before in the foreign exchange especially comparing with US Dollar.  This aspect has an extensive excess both of small, medium or big domestic industry because most of them depend their production activity from the import equipment and raw material. The government itself has not created substitution import policy such as strengthened local agricultural for the benefit of local industry. Increasing of the industry cost effects on decreased the mount of employees in the factories. The rapid growth of domestic unemployment influencing on declined the buy ability. With the lack of buy ability, domestic consumption is stagnant and just making more wave of unemployment. Unemployment just creating social disease likes poverty. And poverty grip some society in the criminality because of there is no chance to work. Like these days, begal (automotive steal with sadism) phenomenon is rapidly awake in the big cities like Tangerang, East Jakarta, Bekasi Kota and Depok. Uneven that, the robbers comes from productive ages. It means, there are rise as the huge phenomena of unemployment since the increase of oil price. On the other case, the grips of poverty have a deep impact to children future. It cut the chance to get an education. Although the government has aid to both of public or private school, is a commonly secret that school often still collect cost from the students parents such as for books, uniforms, etc. And it is really hard with a poor family. Sadly, there are some extreme cases such as suicidal because of the teacher bullying one student who have not pay the cost or a Cycle Rickshaw driver who killed three of his grandson because of his fear could not feed his family.

Unfortunately, the policymaker rise the tax for consumer and small or medium domestic industry. The tax increasing the price and it just makes domestic industry less competitive. The health care also not functions well since miss-management of BPJS (a kind of health care for all citizens). Too many covered people with lack of medicine and doctor make the service are low. In some case, they are left abandoned. A baby die because of the bad hospital treatment that ignoring patient right although they are pay for the service month by month.

With the government, party and parliament that bustling every day, it seems a little bit hard to make them sit in the same point of view to solve this complex problems related to poverty. But, we still need to advocate the poor to gain their right properly. In another way, we could join Non-Government Organization or Local Community that strive to provide solution. The most real solution is how to created chance to have a job and getting paid.

“Bank Sampah (Garbage Bank) is one of the best solution came from local citizen awareness who seeing the garbage not only as important environmental issues but also had an opportunity to get revenue for local community example in Bandung, Malang and Depok City. Our country has local garbage center in each region. But with national total production of garbage reaching up 130.000 liters per day, local garbage center only is far from enough. Needs local citizen initiative to solve their problem selves basic on what they could found on their areas. So, in the Garbage Bank System, the initiator created garbage deposit saving that exchange one kind of garbage item (usually the plastic packaging of food product with the same size and color) with money. And this is not stopping just here. Next, they are created garbage deposit as craft products such as handbag, tablecloth, et cetera with local labors, especially women to help her family against the crisis, bring to the better wealth condition and have financial autonomous. Then, they are sell the products by online or offline. With un-directly, we also keep our environment clean and more health.

So many inspirations we get from the local communities to solve poverty problems. Outside there, another community utilize local commodity (such as fruits, vegetables, leaves, et cetera) to support local industry and local continuity welfare. Writer and author have responsibility to rise up this awareness through any media such as social media, blog, website and print media. Children book story is one of the good solutions to invest social awareness to the kids in order that building up empathy to the poor people. When they are grow up, we hope they could give many contribution to solve social problem especially poverty around them. Other article such as feature, special report or another kind of writing also could drive people for doing the same or better basic on creativity, small or wider, local or global. And we need togetherness to make our dream come true to make the poverty being a history. Hope it would be come true soon!