Controversy over the Proposal of the Rich Man to the Poor in Today's Memory, February 20, 2020

Muhadjir Effendy who served as the Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries in 2019-2024. (ANTARA)

JAKARTA - Today's memory, six years ago, February 20, 2020, Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture (PMK), Muhadjir Effendy proposed that the rich marry the poor to overcome poverty. The proposal then invited criticism and criticism.

Previously, Muhadjir considered the phenomenon of poor people marrying their peers did not bring much change. They married only to produce new poor people. This condition made him think that the rich should marry the poor.

The task as a government official is not easy. Those who are at the ministerial level must think about how to improve the living standards of the Indonesian people. Muhadjir Effendy also did not want to be left behind.

The Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture tried to contribute ideas to break the chain of poverty in Indonesia. Muhadjir saw firsthand how poor families were very difficult in raising their own status. Not to mention later they will marry poor people as well.

He considered this view to be a wrong step. The narrative made the poor people regress because the marriage that took place would bring a new poor family. Muhadjir also tried to think and contribute ideas.

A mass wedding portrait held by the government to help those with limited economic status. (ANTARA)

Instead of the motion he revealed being at the revolutionary level, Muhadjir actually came up with a unique motion that was not in line with his capacity as the Coordinating Minister for Political, Social, and Cultural Affairs. Muhadjir hopes that the government can present a moral movement with a fatwa so that the rich will marry the poor on February 20, 2020.

The desire, according to him, is reasonable. The opportunity for the poor to lift their status is wide open. This option, according to him, can help the government in breaking the chain of poverty in the country.

"I ask for a kind of moral movement. How to break the chain of poverty, among other things, so that the rich also do not have to choose when looking for a spouse or son-in-law. It must be equally rich. "

"So it's just a moral movement. The fatwa, the recommendation. One of the things I observed, although this is not a deep study, this behavior is influenced by the behavior of the community where people will seek equality," said Muhadjir as quoted by lamankompas.com, February 20, 2020.

Muhadjir's proposal then became controversial. The proposal invited criticism and condemnation. This condition is because the matter of choosing a mate has entered the realm of personal affairs. The state does not need to interfere. Muhadjir was also asked to find the right strategy to break the chain of poverty.

It can be with an educational approach, it can also be with the provision of employment. The most severe criticism came from the Deputy Chairman of Commission VIII of the DPR, Ace Hasan Syadzily. He emphasized that the government would rather think about how to open employment, not even handle personal affairs.

"Breaking the chain of poverty is done by providing access to poor people through education, health, job creation, skills, or entrepreneurship. That is the most appropriate way to break poverty," said Ace as quoted by VOI, February 21, 2020.