Study Finds Indonesians Want Welfare State

Study Finds Indonesians Want Welfare State

Jakarta. Concerns over welfare issues including health, education and social insurance have topped a recent study investigating the role of the government and welfare throughout Indonesia.

Around 55 percent of respondents of the survey, which was conducted by the Research Center for Politics and Government of Gadjah Mada University (UGM) in 2013, deemed services such as housing and transportation are a top priority for the public.

Economic regulations came second with nearly 30 percent in the survey, which involved 600 activists from 30 districts and cities across Indonesia.

Activists were chosen as participants and were questioned face-to-face as they are considered as a representation of a particular niche in the community and engage in public and government issues.

Researchers found the public are concerned with civil rights issues, including religious freedoms, minority rights and the rights of children.

Hasrul Hanif, a researcher with the Faculty of Social and Political Science at Yogyakarta-based UGM, said the public wants a welfare state.

"They pin their hopes on the state, but the state is not the only apparatus" Hasrul told the Jakarta Globe recently.

The study found the state is considered responsible for providing welfare studies, with 65 percent of respondents saying the state should manage public issues.

Only around 8 percent of survey participants say public affairs should be addressed by civil society groups.

The figure indicates the public is aware of its right to welfare, as well as the central role of the state in providing services.

But the state — which has both the political and financial capability to play such a role — is yet to properly manage public affairs, participants said.

Nearly 40 percent of respondents see society as having fulfilled the public needs without the presence of the state, while only around 13 percent say welfare issues are collectively managed by the state and the public. The role of the private sector is mentioned by only 6 percent of respondents.

"The ideal condition has yet to become a reality," said Amalinda Safirani, a researcher at the Politics and Government Department of UGM.

Both Amalinda and Hanif agreed that democracy is the best way to increase welfare with the government touch needed to spread equal welfare to the peoples.

The research is a collaborative effort between UGM and the University of Oslo, Norway.

Originally Published in Jakarta Globe