Bali Governor Emphasizes Synergy To Eradicate Extreme Poverty

Acting Governor of Bali Sang Made Mahendra Jaya emphasized the synergy of all parties in an effort to alleviate extreme poverty that still exists on the Island of the Gods even though nationally is among the lowest in the country.

Even though it is the lowest nationally, for us it is unfair. Bali is a place of healing, having fun but there is still poverty, let alone extremes," he said, Wednesday, November 13.

He hopes that all parties, from the government to businessmen and the private sector, will increase cooperation or ngrombo (according to local Balinese wisdom) in an effort to help improve the economy of the poor.

Based on data from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS), the population in Bali from the results of the Population Census in 2020 reached 4.32 million people.

BPS Bali noted that the percentage of poor people in March 2024 reached 4 percent or 184.43 thousand people, down 0.25 percent compared to March 2023 at 4.25 percent.

That number is better than the national average which reached 9.03 percent.

BPS also measures the poverty rate of the population twice in one year, namely in March and September.

The Acting Governor of Bali, reported by ANTARA, said that the extreme poverty rate in Bali in 2023 reached 0.19 percent or around 4,300 families, which decreased compared to 2022 by 0.54 percent.

Of the nine regencies/cities, only the Badung, Buleleng and Denpasar regencies do not have the family-based extreme poor.

That figure is also better than the national average in 2023 reaching 1.12 percent.

"When I came to (implement) the house renovation (cooperation), I was also surprised that there were still our relatives whose houses were on the ground floor, the big wall, the zinc roof, which if the rain leaks, and sleeps on the mat, it's not fair in Bali," he said.