JAKARTA - The Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs (Menkopolhukam) Mahfud MD said the poverty rate in Indonesia since the beginning of independence has decreased until now.

Mahfud said that many Indonesian economic policies are always determined by politics. Sometimes, economic policies are corrupt.

"In fact, cases that are sometimes detrimental to efforts to achieve the country are pursued in a democratic manner through a democratic process," Mahfud said in a virtual discussion, Saturday, May 1.

Mahfud explained, before Indonesia's independence, almost all people were poor. Until President Soekarno's term ended in 1966, poverty was reduced to 54 percent.

"During the New Order, economic development continued to be boosted, Pak Soeharto fell, the economic poverty rate was only 18 percent in 1998," said Mahfud.

The reform era is running, several presidents have changed Then when President SBY took office, the poverty rate was only 11.9 percent. When Pak Jokowi ruled Indonesia for the first five years, the poverty rate fell to 9.1 percent. Due to the pandemic this year, the poverty rate is said to have risen again to 9.7 percent.

"It means, is there progress even though there is a lot of corruption. The Indonesian state is very rich if it is managed. Even though it is corrupt, it will still have many benefits for the people. Especially if it is managed, it will be clean from corruption," he explained.


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