Bireuen – detikperistiwa.co.id
When official figures reveal that 60.3% of Indonesia’s population still lives in poverty in 2024, we are faced with a harsh reality: economic progress has yet to address the root causes of the issue. Over 171 million people—roughly half of the nation’s population—are living in deprivation and uncertainty.
This is not just a statistic. These are the faces of our brothers and sisters, children who have dropped out of school, day labourers whose wages are insufficient to cover basic needs, smallholder farmers crushed by market prices, and the elderly who are neglected. These are silent cries that have long been drowned out by the clamor of economic growth figures.
Testing the Nation’s Conscience
In the midst of the narrative of a “Progressive Indonesia,” why are so many people still left behind? The answer is simple yet painful: our development has been too focused on macroeconomic numbers, rather than the quality of life of ordinary citizens.
Poverty alleviation programs are in place, but they often lose direction because they fail to address the underlying issues: inequality in access to education, decent employment, and real social protection. Half-hearted reforms will only keep the people trapped in a vicious cycle of poverty.
Raising the Standard
As an upper-middle-income country, Indonesia can no longer use outdated measures to assess poverty. With a Gross National Income of US$4,580 per capita, the relevant international poverty line should be US$6.85 per day. When this standard is applied, the fragility of our welfare foundation is laid bare.
Relawan Peduli Rakyat Lintas Batas calls for poverty not to be reduced to a mere small figure in annual reports. There must be political courage to dismantle the structural injustices that have long held the majority of the people captive.
A Call for Systemic Change
We urge the government to no longer hide behind baseless optimism. Labour market reforms that create decent and dignified employment must be expedited. The national education system must be revitalised to truly become a tool for social mobility, not merely a machine for producing certificates. And social protection must be extended without discrimination, becoming a basic right for every citizen, not just a political programme.
Looking to the Future with Courage
This nation was born from the spirit of struggle against injustice. Now, we are challenged to once again prove where our loyalty lies. Allowing tens of millions of people to live in poverty is a betrayal of the constitutional mandate. It is time to reorder national priorities, placing the welfare of the people at the centre of all policies.
History will judge: will we choose to remain complacent in the illusion of satisfaction, or will we stand up to defend those who have long been marginalised?
Rise, Indonesia. Reform is not a choice, but a necessity.
About the Author:
Arizal Mahdi is the Chairman of Relawan Peduli Rakyat Lintas Batas, a humanitarian organisation committed to advocating for social justice and the well-being of the people of Indonesia, regardless of region or social status.
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