C o p y r i g h t o f M u g i B e n t a n g F a a t i h a h ’ s W r i t i n g s . | 1

Indonesia’s Current Position at

First Point of Millennium Goals

(A Brief Glance Essay of the Achievements and Post 2015) by

Indonesia is one of the most populous countries in the worlds. Its economic power

is also one of the top 20 in the world. The matter is, will Indonesia reach the first

point of MDG in 2015?

The First Point of Millennium Develop-ment Goals

The main point of the first goal in Millennium Development Goals is to “eradicate extreme poverty and hunger”. It consists of several sub-points, there are “To Achieve Decent Employ-

ment for Women, Men, and Young People”, “Halve, between 1990 and 2025, the proportion of people who suffer from hunger”, and “To Achieve Decent Employment for Women, Men, and Young People”.

How is it going in Indonesia?The first priority of Millennium Develop-ment Goals is the most noteworthy thing as it was placed at the number one. Eradicating extreme poverty and hunger is also deemed by the Indonesian Government as the first

priority to conduct the rest other point. In a wide international view, Indonesian government successfully eradicated the hunger of its people. In the middle of 2013, the FAO gave a tribute of “Notable Result” to Indonesian govern-ment for the achievement of the first point of MDG. The appraisal was derived from the triumph of Indonesian Government by lowering the hunger index from 19,9% in 1990 to about 8,6% in the last 2010.

The achievement was exceed the target which was 9,9%, due to the first point states “…halve the proportion of people who suffer from hunger”.

Its success for getting 16 million people out of hunger is could be seen remark-ably. But, on the other side, the success of lowering hungriness emerges a question, “How much people of Indonesia that

still live under the poverty threshold?”.To find it out, Badan Pusat Statistik (The Statistic Institution of Indonesia) conduct a survey of national economic toward households in 2008. The result showed us that there were about 32 million people who live under the poverty threshold.

However, due to the number is marked as “the national conclusion”, the circumstances itself are totally different. Living in the cities for example, required someone to live with more money instead of those who live in rural areas.

The result of the data is that the national poverty is about 15,4% of the total population. According to the number, the achievement of Indonesia’s MDG is stalled. But, there is a “numbers’ role” behinds it.

2 | I n d o n e s i a ’ s C u r r e n t P o s i t i o n a t F i r s t P o i n t o f M i l l e n n i u m G o a l s ( A B r i e f G l a n c e E s s a y o f t h e A c h i e v e m e n t s a n d P o s t 2 0 1 5 ) . C o p y r i g h t o f M u g i B e n t a n g F a a t i h a h .

The Indonesia Poverty Threshold Milestone = The Key to Achieve MDG?

The number of 15,4% was the result from the survey of BPS in the last 2008. Their method to find the

number is based on the people purchasing power of food commodities and the other daily commodities. The 15,4% is basically difficult to be the milestone in term of comparing Indonesia’s poverty index with other countries.

In other words, to compare it more easily, the poverty threshold is should be based on World Bank method, which is “One Dollar consumption in a day” method, equal to

about 9,400 Rupiah (2012). Moreover, the lowest bound of someone categorized as “living in an economically viable life” is about 288,000 Rupiah per month. We can compare the both graphics shown.

The graphic I is the national poverty threshold based on BPS method, while the graphic II is based on “One Dollar method” which indicates us the poverty number is 7.5%, both in 2008. There is absolutely difference between both. If we use the graphic II as the milestone, it inferred that the poverty number is much below the graphic I version. Therefore, the MDG’s goal is achieved already by Indonesia.

The Problem of Using the “One Dollar Method” in Indonesia

The problem is the lack of precise, due the method is only showing us the extreme condition

of poor people. The other things that the Dollar value in every countries are different and the Dollar is currently weakening internationally by years. But yes, it is such a positive side of view if we see “the poverty” only by its number, while actually the poverty does not only happening because based on number. As mentioned before, the definition of poverty also covers the other factors, such as the low index of public health, the

low nutrition consumption, up to the sanitations. If the “One Dollar method” is the only way to determine the “poverty number”, it would be so naïve and it is only the number shown up, not the real conditions on the field. Nevertheless, the poverty threshold must be seen from several points of view, so that the real conditions on the field are clearly visible. Currently, the Indonesia’s poverty and hunger have been lowered in every year, which mark as positive (Peter Stalker, 2008) and may ready to achieve the MDG first point goal in 2015.

Indonesia is currently on the right way to reach the MDG first goal.

Graph I

Graph II

C o p y r i g h t o f M u g i B e n t a n g F a a t i h a h ’ s W r i t i n g s . | 3

‘Refrence: Stalker, Peter, etc. 2008. Millenium Development Goals. Mentri Negara Perencanaan Pembangunan Nasional/Kepala Badan Perencaan Pembangunan

Nasional. Picture: http://gdb.voanews.com/0AE08A7F-72AA-4B0D-A9F9-AA15979D495B_mw1024_n_s.jpg and http://www.destination360.com/contents/pictures/indonesia/indonesian-people.jpg, http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cjHhNTE_6Kw/

Tdkl7BoMrTI/AAAAAAAAABA/LEyqzej6ufQ/s400/76-2001-rp-5000.jpg, http://v-images2.antarafoto.com/gpr/1306225505/bursa-kerja-05.jpg

Post-2015: To Sustain and to Better the First

Goal through Employment ProvidentThe First Point of Millennium Development Goals

The main point of the first goal in To sustain the first goal of MDG, even to expand it more post-2015, I believe it has to be started from “Employment Provident”. Indonesia has a very big human resource potential in the following years, which called the “Demographic Bonus”, and will reached its peak at the beginning of 2030.

To unfold the potential, all the part who has roles must take action, including the government. In term of real actions, the govern-ments should implement and act their “Economic Development ‘Speed Up’ Master Plan” which called in Bahasa as “Master Plan Percepatan Pembangunan Ekonomi Indonesia” (MP3EI) seriously and continously. It has to be thoughtfully planned and consid-ered as soon as possible, it has to be also quickly implemented so that Indonesia would not lose their “Demographic Bonus”.In term of the idealism, the government should make more regulations concerning the agricultural sectors, which aims to provide enough “Food Security”. By that way, Indonesia will have its own food basis. It’s up to Indonesia now on. It’s up to us, as Indonesian People.

To implement MP3EI

and to strengthen the

agricultural sector of

Indonesia