UI Professors Are Surprised About Narrow Perceptions Of Workers And Society: Look At The Data, Only 143,000 Have Been Laid Off, Even Though There Are 52 Million JHT Participants Who Need Money

Illustration. (Photo: Doc. Antara)

JAKARTA - The polemic regarding the change in the mechanism for disbursing the Pension Plan Security (JHT) balance through Permenaker No. 2/2022 was caused by a misperception among the public regarding the program run by the Employment Social Security Administering Agency (BPJS).

Professor of the University of Indonesia, Hasbullah Thabrany, said that the JHT program in Indonesia is trapped in the perception of short-sighted thoughts among workers and some community groups.

According to him, this program was prepared taking into account the low awareness of the working community in setting aside their income as a social safety net in the future.

"All over the world, all countries require their workers to save in old age. Some are in the form of pensions and old age guarantees," Hasbullah said in his statement, quoted Friday, February 25.

In line with that, Hasbullah considered that it was appropriate for the JHT balance to be disbursed when the worker was old or no longer active in the world of work so as to provide a guarantee of life worthiness.

"But now many people think short-sighted, even though the Minister of Manpower's regulations are very good and appropriate. Social security and social security benefits can only be disbursed when they are old," he said.

Hasbullah added, based on KSPI data last year there were 50,000 workers who were laid off. The Ministry of Manpower estimates that 143,000 workers are threatened with layoffs.

Meanwhile, the number of JHT participants last year reached 52 million people. This means that the polemic regarding concerns about changing the JHT disbursement scheme only represents 0.3 percent of the participants in the program.

"Do you have to dismantle the JHT program by refusing the disbursement requirement for 56 years? Look at the common future, don't look at the short term, there are solutions," he said.

Hasbullah added that workers who have been laid off at this time can take advantage of the new BPJS Employment program, namely the Job Loss Guarantee (JKP).

Thus, workers do not have to worry about the future when they are laid off after the change in the JHT disbursement mechanism.

The JHT and JKP schemes promoted by the government are the same as the social security concept applied in Germany. Based on a video that has gone viral on social media, an Indonesian citizen living in Germany explained that the JHT concept in that country can only be disbursed when the retirement age is 67 years.

If workers are laid off in the middle of their productive age, the German government will cover 60 percent of the workers' wages every month for one year, while helping them find new jobs. This concept is exactly the same as JKP which will be implemented by the government.

Meanwhile, Hasbullah also called on workers not to worry about the funds managed by BPJS Ketenagakerjaan. The reason is, the accumulation of JHT funds is an investment for workers to build the country.

Instead of infrastructure development funded by foreign loans, where the returns will go abroad, domestic workers will only become objects. In fact, many of the investment funds that enter Indonesia are actually the Social Security Funds for workers in developed countries.

The large social security fund (DJS) is the best source to invest in the country, as an investment for workers (both public and private) to develop the country.

The large DJS funds become the backbone of government bonds and other long-term investments, the results of which will be enjoyed by workers in DN.

Instead of borrowing foreign funds, the interest and yields of which are enjoyed by workers in other countries, he appealed to Indonesian workers to see long-term benefits, to develop the country while at the same time guaranteeing the future of workers.