Redistribution Of Wealth To Overcome Inequality In Social Privilege

Ilustrasi (Raga Granada / YOU)

We have discussed how the political steps of President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) 's children and in - laws as political privileges through the article "Political Privilege in the Circle of the President". This fact also confirms that privilege is not just a matter of outward blessing. On that basis, the real rulers can step in to ensure the balance of life for their people. Here comes the final article in VOI's signature series, "Privilege: Myth or Real?"

For Sania, a beautiful face is very profitable. I have already felt the ease of getting a job. Get into any social environment, Sania can. Moreover, a matter of romance. The husband she is now married to is her eighth lover. Handsome, rich too. There is something interesting about this chain. Because, Ical, the husband is a child born into a supermapan family. It is not difficult for Ical to choose a woman to be edited.

Not. This is not a story of a materialistic woman. Nor is it about stupid boys who rely solely on their parents' possessions. Ical currently owns a vaporizer shop in Depok, West Java. He collected the capital from his old job as an accountant at a public accounting firm in Sudirman, Central Jakarta. This is the truth about the chain of privileges. It is easy for some people to live their life.

We have also raised other stories through a survey we conducted on Twitter social media some time ago. Tono - not his real name - for example, said, "When I wanted to take a diploma (I made it again because TU employees were careless) he was told to wait for the principal to finish the meeting to ask for an autograph. at the Education Office, "he wrote.

The other perspective is more interesting. Several netizens expressed their feelings about the privilege of being Muslim in Indonesia, a country which is predominantly Muslim. "So Muslims in Indonesia have become privileged. Serve calmly, never been disturbed," wrote one tweet. Others have the same opinion: To be Javanese and Muslim in Indonesia is a privilege.

If a thing is real or not is determined by scientific theory, then privilege is a real thing. Sociologist, Tantan Hermansyah, explained a theory that explains privilege as a result of interactions between subjects (individuals) who then have functions in the relationship between these subjects.

"For example, in an organization. A group is an individual who agrees. When the agreement gets bigger, what we call society will emerge. The community is in practice a collection of these individuals. They are bound by the rules," said Tantan when contacted by VOI, Tuesday 3 March.

Overcoming privileges

Whether you like it or not, privileges will give you space between groups. Don't look at what we're about to say as cliches. This is because the key to dealing with the pressures of the privileged among those less fortunate is to do introspection. Everyone can study objectively what he has and has not done to achieve his goals.

Like it or not, privilege is a reality that must be faced by an individual as a social being. By understanding that, one will see the concept of privilege more clearly. A better way to live, of course. "Okay, I just got to the best of my ability," said Rosmini, contacted by VOI, some time ago.

"If people want to try, nothing is impossible. It's just that most people often feel sorry for themselves so they take refuge with it, saying, 'Other people get things, while I don't,'" he said.

Appointment of seven staff members who sparked debate about privileges (Setneg.go.id)

Outside the context of control within each individual, privilege as a social fact is actually related to the mandate of the fifth Pancasila precept, "Social Justice for All Indonesian People". Therefore, the state must take part in filling this imbalance.

As is well known, inequality in Indonesia is still quite sharp. As of March 2019 alone, Indonesia's Gini ratio is at 0.382. Even though it is down by 0.007 points compared to last month and year, according to Economist Faisal Basri this situation does not mean that the situation is okay.

On his personal website, Faisal Basri quoted the 2018 Global Wealth Report which stated that the richest one percent of Indonesians controlled 46.6 percent of national wealth. "In the last nine years concentration of wealth has tended to get worse," it wrote.

Meanwhile, researcher Saiful Mujani Research & Consulting (SMRC) Sadiman Ahmad, in his writing on the SMRC website, explained that economic inequality is a big problem related to the narrative of injustice in wealth distribution.

This problem, according to Sadiman, will bring social harm, "Such as increasing crime, social instability, and even obesity in the population," he wrote. Therefore, Sadiman argues, the way that the government can take to overcome inequality in the context of social privilege is to implement wealth redistribution.

This scheme is commonly used in a democratic climate. However, there are parties who need to pay for the policy. "Those who have to pay, of course, are the taxpayers, namely the rich people. The state must take some of the wealth of the upper class to be distributed to the lower classes through social program schemes," he said.

However, this policy is not without challenges. The reason is, for those who are taxed, social justice may be considered differently. The elites who are required to pay in the wealth redistribution program will not like it. Regarding the success or failure of this policy, it all depends on how the government formulates social redistribution carefully.

And the most important thing is will. Because, to quote again Rosmini's words: Nothing is impossible if we try.

Follow this issue's Writing Series: "Privilege: Myth or Real?"