Just four Indonesians wealthier than poorest 100 million: Oxfam

The four richest Indonesians are wealthier than the poorest 100 million people in the country, a study has found, highlighting how huge numbers have been left behind as the economy booms.


Oxfam said that President Joko Widodo had failed to fulfil pledges to fight inequality and called on the government to urgently increase spending on public services and make corporations and the wealthy pay more tax.

Indonesia has enjoyed an economic boom that has reduced the number of people living in extreme poverty, but the gap between rich and poor has risen faster than in any other Southeast Asian country in the past 20 years, the Oxfam study said.

"The benefits of growth have not been shared equally, and millions have been left behind," said the research, which was released earlier this week.

"The widening of the gap between the rich and the rest is a serious threat to Indonesia's future prosperity. If inequality is not tackled, then reducing poverty will be much more difficult, and social instability could increase."
 [elethos.gr/AFP]
23/2/17