13.3 percent of Indonesians live in poverty, report says

[News_Editor]

13.3 percent of Indonesians live in poverty, report says

2010-10-07 00:54:25 GMT+7 (ICT)

JAKARTA, INDONESIA (BNO NEWS) -- Indonesia's Central Statistics Agency in a new report says that 13.3 percent of Indonesians live in poverty, which shows a slight decrease compared to the 14.1 percent that was reported last year.

Agung Laksono, Coordinating Minister of Public Welfare, explained that poverty is not only an economic issue. It is a social, cultural, and political problem as well. Basic rights to food, health, education, employment, housing, land, natural resources, clean water, sanitation, security, and the right to participate in public policy making are all part of the problem, Laksono said.

The United Nations Millennium Development Goals include the reduction of Indonesia's poverty to 7.5 percent by 2015, which is half of the 1990 poverty rate. The United Cabinet of Indonesia set a 4-year plan (2010-2014) that targets reducing the poverty rate to 8 to 10 percent.

"Indonesia, with its solid domestic consumption and strong capital inflows, for example, has secured the short-term requirements for it to achieve its targeted growth in the next several years," Enrique Blanco Armas, the World Bank's senior economist for Indonesia, said late last month.

“So now would be a good time to focus on its more longer-term requirements, such as reducing the poverty rate.â€

Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono had previously announced that his administration's four key economic policies included reducing the poverty rate, boosting economic growth, creating jobs and protecting the environment.

On Tuesday night, Irfan Kortschak launched his book titled "Those who are Invisible: Poverty and Empowerment in Indonesia" and received vast media attention as it gathers stories from people around the country that live and face the problem of poverty.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2010-10-07

[Jingthing]

They're doing better than the USA with over 14 percent under the poverty level.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39211644/ns/us_news-life/