Indonesia Looks Back on a Bitter Year for Growth, Employment
https://kabar22.blogspot.com/2015/10/indonesia-looks-back-on-bitter-year-for.html
Protesters, including union members of the Confederation of Indonesian Workers Union (KSPI) and the National Workers Union, paid no attention to the stinging heat on Tuesday afternoon as they shouted their displeasure over the current administration's failure to improve the welfare of Indonesians.
Some carried large signs reading, "Topple the Jokowi-JK," while a group of university students burned tires to make their point.
Police were
prepared for the protest, deploying 1,200 officers to secure both the
legislative complex and the State Palace in Central Jakarta, said Sr.
Comr. Martuani Sormin, Jakarta Police bureau chief.
Despite the handful of rallies taking place across the country, with some locations, like Bogor, ending in clashes with police, the one-year anniversary of Joko and Kalla's inauguration went by like any other day for most Indonesians. Most have grown accustomed to the economic conditions of weaker earnings and higher cost of living that have forced them to put on hold any plans of buying durable goods.
“Indonesia's laborers give [Joko and Kalla] a score of five out of 10, which means they didn't pass [their test]. Joko and JK have failed to lift the people out of poverty," KSPI chairman Said Iqbal told the Jakarta Globe.
He continued to slam the current administration, accusing its policies of failing to prevent massive layoffs after companies were hit by slower growth, a weaker rupiah and higher costs of production.
"[The country's] poverty level rose by about 860,000 [people] in six months, many workers have been laid off and the economy has slowed significantly," he added.
Iqbal was quoting data from Indonesia's Statistics Agency (BPS), which showed that 28.59 million people – 11.22 percent of the population – live below the poverty line as of March, an alarming jump of 860,000 people from 27.73 million, or 10.96 percent of the population, in September 2014.
According to BPS, Indonesia also saw a noticeable increase in its unemployment rate, with 7.45 million people out of a potential workforce of 128.3 million identified as unemployed as of February. That puts the nation's unemployment rate at 5.81 percent.
In comparison, last year's data showed that 7.15 million Indonesians out of a workforce of 125.32 million people were without jobs, placing the unemployment rate at 5.7 percent. (bazz/ID)
Despite the handful of rallies taking place across the country, with some locations, like Bogor, ending in clashes with police, the one-year anniversary of Joko and Kalla's inauguration went by like any other day for most Indonesians. Most have grown accustomed to the economic conditions of weaker earnings and higher cost of living that have forced them to put on hold any plans of buying durable goods.
“Indonesia's laborers give [Joko and Kalla] a score of five out of 10, which means they didn't pass [their test]. Joko and JK have failed to lift the people out of poverty," KSPI chairman Said Iqbal told the Jakarta Globe.
He continued to slam the current administration, accusing its policies of failing to prevent massive layoffs after companies were hit by slower growth, a weaker rupiah and higher costs of production.
"[The country's] poverty level rose by about 860,000 [people] in six months, many workers have been laid off and the economy has slowed significantly," he added.
Iqbal was quoting data from Indonesia's Statistics Agency (BPS), which showed that 28.59 million people – 11.22 percent of the population – live below the poverty line as of March, an alarming jump of 860,000 people from 27.73 million, or 10.96 percent of the population, in September 2014.
According to BPS, Indonesia also saw a noticeable increase in its unemployment rate, with 7.45 million people out of a potential workforce of 128.3 million identified as unemployed as of February. That puts the nation's unemployment rate at 5.81 percent.
In comparison, last year's data showed that 7.15 million Indonesians out of a workforce of 125.32 million people were without jobs, placing the unemployment rate at 5.7 percent. (bazz/ID)
