The Proposed Fatwa Of Rich People Marries The Poor, Not A Solution To Overcome Poverty

JAKARTA - The Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture (Menko PMK), Muhadjir Effendy, has proposed a fatwa for rich people to marry poor people. According to him, this cross-economic fatwa can be effective in alleviating poverty.

Deputy Chairman of Commission VIII, Ace Hasan Syadzily, admitted that he did not agree with the recommendation of the Coordinating Minister for PMK. According to him, the statement was incorrect. Because, he said, choosing a mate is a personal matter and the state does not need to interfere.

"The Islamic teachings about the sequelae match should not be interpreted as a misinterpretation," he said, when contacted by VOI, in Jakarta, Friday, February 21.

According to Ace, it is better for the government to find the right way and strategy in order to overcome poverty, overcome economic inequality, create jobs and prosper the people.

"Breaking the poverty chain is done by providing access to the poor through education, health, employment, business skills or entrepreneurship. That's the most appropriate way to break poverty," he said.

In the same opinion, the Economist of the Institute for Development of Economic and Finance (Indef) Bhima Yudhistira Adhinegara said that the government has no right to interfere in personal matters. Moreover, the fatwa also does not guarantee to increase the income of those with lower economies.

"In the long term, social conflict due to class differences can actually increase the divorce rate. Don't marry poor people, the fact is that it is difficult for rich people to marry into the middle class because of prestige and social pressure," Bhima told VOI.

According to Bhima, rather than the government making a strange discourse, it is better to improve social assistance funds (Bansos) for the poor.

"Try to improve the social assistance first, BPJS Health data and its subsidized policies. The existing programs are not yet complete, they want to interfere with individual personal matters," he said.

Not a Solution to Overcome Poverty

Researcher Indef Abra El Talattov said, with the fatwa on cross-economic marriage proposed by the Coordinating Minister for PMK, then it was linked to the government's inability to overcome poverty, not entirely true. In fact, poverty has decreased relatively even though the figure is still high.

However, said Abra, the government still has homework to eradicate poverty. According to Abra, if you look at the national poverty rate, it has indeed decreased, but across provinces there are still areas where the poverty rate is higher than the national level.

"My record is that there are 17 provinces whose poverty level is higher than the national level of 10 percent. So you can say that it has not been very successful," said Abra.

The government, said Abra, must spread economic resources in the regions in order to reduce poverty evenly. One of them is optimizing village funds.

"For example, what is currently being predicted by the government is village funds. Now this must be optimized again, so that it becomes the wheel or economic stimulus in villages in the regions. With this large village fund, the government must prove how many villages can alleviate poverty. through the village fund, "he said.

In addition, said Abra, to deal with poverty problems, the government can take advantage of productive social assistance (bansos), not just consumptive ones. Although, consumptive assistance is also needed.

"Productive assistance such as cash-intensive assistance other than outside village funds," he said.

Not only that, according to Abra, what is no less strategic is how the government, through the Ministry of BUMN, also has a mandate in the BUMN Law which must empower the small sector of MSMEs.

"It must also be seen how the role of BUMN so far. Maybe the government is more measured, one BUMN, one BUMN child has they fostered how many UMKMs? , this will have an impact, "he explained.