JATAM | Mining Advocacy Network

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NGOs Community Press Release, 26 June 200

NGOs Community Point of View for the Second Round of Presidential Candidates Debate 2009

Last night (25/06), the NGO community consists of 43 NGOs in Indonesia have witnessed the presidential candidate’s debate round 2 organized by the General Elections Commission (KPU)  bringingthe theme of poverty reduction and unemployment. As suspected before, the candidate debate last night has a poor understanding on the problems of environmental and natural resources, Agrarian conflict, also condemnation in urban area and its relation with the effort of poverty reduction and unemployment.

Since the new order (orde baru), economic growth becomes the only measure of the people welfare and Indonesian economic. Since Private Investment has long become a trigger base for Indonesia’s economic growth, which proven failed to make us loose from the fetters of poverty and injustice.

At least, this fall has seen from the total debt stock in-and-outside the country, in the term of October 31^st 2008, it has reached Rp1, 606 trillion (DJPU, 2008). It Increased sharply compared to 2005  with Rp1, 268 trillion. Moreover, foreign loans which fall due in 2009 as big as U.S. $ 6514 billion (Ministry of Finance 2008), almost triple the number of years ago.

Debt is become generic, strategic and conservative. It managed through the market mechanism to make dependence more stifling. As a result, privatization and liberalization is a condition of new foreign debt transactions in various sectors, especially education, health, food and energy that continue to run. Debt is a source of impoverishment, which are not capable to be addressed appropriately by the three candidates last night.

The root of poverty and unemployment failed to recognize by the three candidates is the village. There is a services gap in the urban areas, but the problem actually is in the rural areas. In the village, the growth of land domination disparities between people with the corporation is one of the main factors of poverty. The villager’s migration to the town has establishes the pockets of poor people in the city which become an unemployment problem and poverty in the city. Poor in the city is a portrait of the rural poverty.

The majoring of economic growth and to much protection against natural resources extractive activities are often involve violence acts by the State apparatus, both physical violence, psychological, even not a little sexual violence happens to women. Those development models will also cause the forced of people migration from their living space, and choose to move to the city, or to be migrant workers with minimal skills and protection.

None from the candidates convey to deliver the idea of poverty reduction by take care the village, as the root of the problems and the solutions to be offered. Moreover, the ideas to placed out agriculture industry, plantation, forestry and people fisheries as the main solution to come out from the poverty. Those efforts of course have a conditional; the Agrarian Reform also the justice of natural resources.

The three candidates believe the paradigm of economic growth through investment and infrastructure development is the most appropriate answers. Unsurprisingly, if in the future they will sing lullaby to the people with welfare promises through instant ways and self imaging through BLT (instant money), Raskin (cheap rice) and other forms of public services substitution.

Infact, the priority to maintain the security and investment convenience have made the governance law and the court until now, more aligned to the capital owner's. People's safety and the sustainability of the natural services to be systematically become externality of development model that oriented to this aggressive economic growth.

Indonesian people know, natural resources both land and sea have a wide meaning in people's daily life, as a family economic capital, as the social media and cultural development in this situation – how to seen the natural resources as a collective identity of the nation.

Interestingly, in this the second round of debate, there are visible efforts from the three candidates, especially SBY and Megawati to affirm their understanding regarding Indonesia disposition as a country islands. Megawati called repeatedly, while SBY state the importance to include fisheries and fishing sector in the strategy of economic correction. But JK practically was negligent to fulfill and enter the context of maritime country in his exposure of economic strategy.

The options for national economic development to eradicate poverty and unemployment should reflect the character of state and nation, different from other nations. Not only understanding Indonesia as a maritime country, but also an archipelago country where the majority of its people living in villages and coastal areas.

Candidate debate last night giving signal, that the three of them do not provide a signal of economic paradigm changes that will be selected in the future to cover the poverty and unemployment. More specifically, SBY will use the formulation of tax and investment; which both are the real patterns of liberal behavior or neoliberal. While Megawati herself was very shallow in giving meaning the importance of Indonesia natural resources. She only considers that just as an economic appliance. Thus, the principle of natural resource sell-cheap in the country organizing is an option that she may take.

Through the political momentum of presidential election on 8th July 2009, NGO community invite the candidates to discuss urgent issues above through open dialogue with NGOs together with the candidates in order to read carefully the priority of public issues that can be done in the next five years. NGO communities were also invites the media to maintain their critical so that Indonesia’s people can get the picture of leadership quality and conscience from the candidates that they will vote in the upcoming July 8th.

Jakarta, 27 June 2009

Media Contacts:

1. Chalid Muhammad, 0811847163

2. Don Marut, 08119671327

3. Abet Nego Tarigan, 08159416297