Social justice is the fifth principle of the Pancasila. It has a close relation to the national development agenda and will be a key focus of the candidates in the upcoming parliamentarian and presidential elections. Although Indonesia has made some progress over the last three decades, regarding the stabilization of the economy and development, the job market data implies that, particularly in rural areas, people are afraid of losing their jobs.
Although extreme poverty has decreased, the economic growth is not followed by more equal incomes. The wealth gap between rich and poor in Indonesia is one of the worst in the world.
The Indonesian Minister of Manpower, Mohammad Hanif Dhakiri, underlined in his keynote speech that the government is aware and responds the issue. One focus is to optimize the training of workers through specialized vocational training centres (BLK). The Government has established more than 1,000 BLK throughout Indonesia and the target is to train one million workers per year. Subsidies are provided to workers so that they can undertake the training free of charge.
Other panellists followed-up on the insightful remarks of the minister in their presentations. The panel included experts with various backgrounds such as energy technology and business development, activists from migrant organisations, researchers from the Habibie Center, and a representative of the Indonesian Entrepreneurial Association. Overall, there was a consensus that more needs to be done to reach the goal of a more prosperous and equal society.