Indonesia Lags Way Behind Southeast Asian Neighbors

Jakarta Globe, Arientha Primanita, May 14, 2015

Students dancing dangdut after the drinking jamu together at Sukoharjo district,
Solo, Central Java, April 1, 2015. The ceremony of drinking jamu together follows
by thousands students as a campaign to promote Jamu as a healthy drinks for
youth and mark the Sukoharjo as the Jamu district in Indonesia. (JG Photo/
Jurnasyanto Sukarno)

Indonesia has ranked 69th out of 124 countries in the World Economic Forum’s Human Capital Index 2015, which studied countries’ success in nurturing, deploying and developing human resources.

The country is left lagging behind its Southeast Asian neighbors of the Philippines, Malaysia and Singapore which ranked 46th, 52nd, 24th respectively.

Southeast Asia’s largest economy is classified under lower to middle income nations, along with those which have an income per capita ranging from $1,045 per year to $4,125 per year.

The WEF’s Human Capital Index 2015 is a study of 124 countries covering 46 indicators that measure how far a country is from optimizing its human resources talent — including evaluating the levels of education, skills and employment available — to people across five different age groups, beginning with under 15 years to over 65 years.

Measured by age, Indonesia rank 47th for human capital index in the under 15 age group, partly thanks to the high score in the primary enrolment rate and secondary enrolment rate.

Indonesia scored the worst in the category of 65 and Over Age Group (92rd), with scores in educational attainment, including secondary education, is much lower than the country’s other age groups.

On a 1 to 7 scale in which 1 is the worst score and 7 the best, Indonesia scored 1 for social safety net, internet access in schools and university-business research and development collaboration.

Finland ranked number one in the index, with an overall score of 86 percent.

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Govt Starts Distribution of Social Benefit Cards

President Joko Widodo, center, distributes the Indonesia Health Card (KIS) to

workers at a rubber plantation in North Sumatra. (Antara Foto/Septianda Perdana)

Govt Starts Distribution of Social Benefit Cards

Jakarta Globe, Novy Lumanauw, Apr 28, 2015

President Joko Widodo, center, distributes the Indonesia Health Card (KIS) to
workers at a rubber plantation in North Sumatra. (Antara Foto/Septianda Perdana)

Jakarta. Tens of millions of disadvantaged Indonesians will start receiving the government’s much-touted Indonesia Health Card (KIS) and Indonesia Smart Card (KIP) from this week — months after the flagship social benefit programs were officially unveiled.

The government says the cards will improve Indonesians’ access to education and health services, and it aims to distribute them to more than 100 million people.

A total of 88.2 million people will receive the KIS card, which provides the nation’s poor and near-poor with access to healthcare.

Card holders will be entitled to treatment at public primary care clinics (puskesmas) and treatment in third-class hospitals. Benefits provided under the health card will be managed by the Social Security Agency (BPJS) but funded by insurance premiums of Rp 19,225 ($1.60) per person — paid by the Ministry of Health.

Meanwhile, 20.3 million people will be provided with the KIP card, which entitles students from underprivileged families to 12 years’ free education, as well as education resources and free higher education provided they pass university entrance exams.

Workers at a rubber plantation in North Sumatra were the first to get their hands on the KIS cards on April 18, but the government started national distribution on Tuesday.

Distribution of the cards, a campaign promise of President Joko Widodo, was slated for late 2014, but budget wrangling that was only resolved in January pushed the schedule back.

“We’ll start distributing the cards this week,” Joko said on Tuesday after disbursing 3,289 KIS cards to employees of state-owned shipping and dock company, Dok & Perkapalan Kodja Bahari, in North Jakarta.

The cards are similar to the Jakarta Health Card (KJS) and Jakarta Smart Card (JKP) implemented when Joko was governor of the capital,

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President Of Indonesia : We Need To Cooperate To Advance The Nation

Jakarta Globe, aacc2015.id, Apr 24, 2015

AACC2015, Bandung – The President of the Republic of Indonesia Joko Widodo invited all representatives of the Asian and African countries to start economic cooperation in order to increase the quality of life of their people.

“The Spirit of Bandung is to advance people’s welfare. Therefore, we must cooperate,” said President Joko Widodo at the height of the commeration of the 60th Anniversary of the Asian African Conference (AAC), in Bandung, on Friday (24/4).

According to the President, the Spirit of Bandung that was agreed by the founders should be a unifier that opens every economic cooperation potential. This should be a good momentum to produce various economic agreements in order to improve people’s welfare.

Still fresh in our memory is the struggle for independence by our predecessors. At that time, all Asian and African countries experienced the impact of colonialism. The Asian African Conference fosters a spirit of togetherness that was initiated by the Spirit of Bandung, to fight colonialism.

Previously, five countries were still dreaming of gaining independence from colonialism, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Bangladesh, India, and Indonesia. Their dream to gain independence inspired the birth of the Spirit of Bandung, the President added.

Through the AAC Commemoration, Joko Widodo invites all people of the represented countries to inflame the Spirit of Bandung in Asian and African in order to fight for peace, end poverty, and provide better welfare. (Photo: Host, Translator: Mia)

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"The Timing of the Great Shift" – Mar 21, 2009 (Kryon channelled by Lee Carroll) - (Text version)

“… Here is another one. A change in what Human nature will allow for government. "Careful, Kryon, don't talk about politics. You'll get in trouble." I won't get in trouble. I'm going to tell you to watch for leadership that cares about you. "You mean politics is going to change?" It already has. It's beginning. Watch for it. You're going to see a total phase-out of old energy dictatorships eventually. The potential is that you're going to see that before 2013. They're going to fall over, you know, because the energy of the population will not sustain an old energy leader. Remember where you heard it... in a strange, esoteric meeting with a guy in a chair pretending to channel. [Kryon being factious... Kryon humor] Then when you hear it, you'll know better, won't you? "Maybe there was something really there," you'll say. "Maybe it was real," you'll say. Perhaps you can skip all the drama of the years to come and consider that now? [Kryon humor again]

These leaders are going to fall over. You'll have a slow developing leadership coming to you all over the earth where there is a new energy of caring about the public. "That's just too much to ask for in politics, Kryon." Watch for it. That's just the beginning of this last phase. So many things are coming. The next one is related to this, for a country in survival with sickness cannot sustain a leadership of high consciousness. There is just too much opportunity for power and greed. But when a continent is healed, everything changes. .."

".. Many years ago, the prevailing thought was that nobody should consider China as a viable player on the economic stage. They were backward, filled with a system that would never be westernized, and had no wish to become joined with the rest of the world's economic systems. Look what has happened in only 30 years. Now, look at Africa differently …”

"The End of History"- Nov 20, 2010 (Kryon channeled by Lee Carroll) - (Text-Version)

" .... Africa

Let me tell you where else it's happening that you are unaware - that which is the beginning of the unity of the African states. Soon the continent will have what they never had before, and when that continent is healed and there is no AIDS and no major disease, they're going to want what you have. They're going to want houses and schools and an economy that works without corruption. They will be done with small-minded leaders who kill their populations for power in what has been called for generations "The History of Africa." Soon it will be the end of history in Africa, and a new continent will emerge.

Be aware that the strength may not come from the expected areas, for new leadership is brewing. There is so much land there and the population is so ready there, it will be one of the strongest economies on the planet within two generations plus 20 years. And it's going to happen because of a unifying idea put together by a few. These are the potentials of the planet, and the end of history as you know it.

In approximately 70 years, there will be a black man who leads this African continent into affluence and peace. He won't be a president, but rather a planner and a revolutionary economic thinker. He, and a strong woman with him, will implement the plan continent-wide. They will unite. This is the potential and this is the plan. Africa will arise out the ashes of centuries of disease and despair and create a viable economic force with workers who can create good products for the day. You think China is economically strong? China must do what it does, hobbled by the secrecy and bias of the old ways of its own history. As large as it is, it will have to eventually compete with Africa, a land of free thinkers and fast change. China will have a major competitor, one that doesn't have any cultural barriers to the advancement of the free Human spirit.. ...."

Indonesia Improves on Happiness Scale

Jakarta Globe, Vanesha Manuturi & Tabita Diela, Apr 24, 2015

Women in traditional West Java dress parade down the street during ceremonies
 marking the 60th anniversary of the Asian-African Conference in Bandung,
West Java, Indonesia, April 24, 2015. (AFP Photo/Bay Ismoyo)

  

Jakarta. Indonesia improved in its ranking in happiness, making it the 74th happiest country in the world, but the nation trailed  regional neighbors, according to a recent global ranking in a report on happiness.

Singapore and Malaysia ranked 24th and 61st place, respectively, in the 2015 World Happiness Report, which was released on Thursday by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network — a global initiative for sustainable economic development under the United Nations.

Indonesia — which has the biggest economy in Southeast Asia — moved up two notches from 76th in the 2013 World Happiness Report.

Switzerland topped the list, followed by Iceland and Denmark, as Scandinavian nations continued to dominate the top ten positions in the happiness ranking. Among other Asian giants, China came in at 84th place, while the second most populous country, India, placed 117th.

First launched in 2012, the World Happiness Report is the third annual report that attempts to measure happiness in 158 countries across the world. The report captures average subjective well-being, aiming to provide a global social progress measurement on a dimension broader than just economic growth.

The report uses six variables to quantify happiness include gross domestic product per capita, perception of corruption, healthy life expectancy and perceived freedom to make life choices. The report also measured social support variable by asking whether respondents have someone to count on in times of trouble. The generosity variable, on the other hand, is measured by recent donations.

The report found that “differences in social support, incomes and healthy life expectancy are the three most important factors,” in separating countries’ level of happiness.

“The challenge is to ensure that policies are designed and delivered in ways that enrich the social fabric, and teach the pleasure and power of empathy to current and future generations,” according to the report, which was compiled by economists John Helliwell, Richard Layard and Jeffrey Sach. “When these social factors are well-rooted and readily available, communities and nations are more resilient.”

Still, Indonesia’s government has yet to factor in happiness in its policy-making initiatives, as the nation lags in producing jobs to help  narrow the gap between rich and poor.

“In terms of GDP per capita, there is still a big disparity in income among Indonesians. This is one of the government’s tasks, which means initiating more labor-intensive programs in order to create jobs in the country,” said Aviliani, an economist at the Institute for Development of Economics and Finance (Indef).

“Corruption is also a culture that the government must continue to eradicate in the country.”

GlobeAsia

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