Sustainable Poverty

 Ica Wulansari

Nowadays, we live in critical era. So many threats and those are actually harms our live as human being. In order to be civilized, human being should deserve humanity treatment.  The global governance, such as The UN has built the principle in regards to human right. Human right abuse still happen due to the lack of systemic humanity perspective.

Poverty is a critical problem in line with human right implementation. Global agenda such as MDGs (Millenium Development Goals) and SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) have priority to alleviate poverty which is mean poverty is unfinished agenda.

State has three elements such as government, business and society. Government has strategic position to regulate national interest. In order to ensure public welfare, government should play role for the sake of country. In contrast, government`s policies are often rejected by society due to non alignment in regards to public interest. On the other hand, government should carry out good governance principle, simple as this providing infrastructure for public sector and accessibility for private sector. However, contradictory happen when government serves high access for private sector.

How about society? I would like to put powerless people (such as peasant, small farmer) for this discussion. As a powerless people, they fully depend on natural resources. Although, their products is mostly lower price commodity, they have forced to accept for a simple reason to survive. In addition, they do not have an access controlling the resources, then they are exposed to be the victim of eviction or land grab.

In the name of development, they have to be sacrificed. When the reason is for the development, then the business group become greedy for capital reason and the last powerless people become marginalized then they were trapped in sustainable or absolut poverty. Thus, poverty is in line with public policies.

For some reason, government should have development paradigm. In order to improve public life quality, the government should provide infrastructure, such as education, health, road, transportation, and green area. I realize that development need sacrifice, however it should protect the powerless people`s interest. Why should we prefer development when we provide less choice for powerless people?

Today, we live in urban centralized. That is why, rural life become unpopular due to less access to develop. Beside that, become small farmer or peasant is a bad choice rather than to be urban or a labour.

Modernity has changed social life through perspective of development, for instance farm for industry has more popular than traditional farm. Meanwhile, traditional farm is more eco friendly due to free of pesticides and guarantee food security for their society minimum.

Promoting rural development would decrease urban population growth. Broadly speaking, promoting rural development may provide accessibility for rural society to grow up. As a result, it will reduce poverty in rural society.

The terminology of rural is related to land, capital and labour. When, we will see this terminology, no wonder rural society would be marginalized. Rural area has rich of sources to be exploited. Certain plantation industries have operated in rural area then they need labours. This industry is offering double benefit in line with export requirement. Investors need huge land for commercial use. They have built partnership with small farmer to provide this commodity. But probably for other peasant or small farmer distracted by these industries whom control access of land and water.

In order to create sustainability supply chain of commodities, then firstly, ensuring social life especially for powerless people. Then, we need moral responsibility for powerless people who voiceless their right as a citizen.

The negative consequences if we ignore this issue then famine threat would be happen. Personally speaking, I am scared when powerless people frustrated so it would trigger bloodshed. Humanity lef behind by sustainable poverty.