East and West Separated by a Decade

KOMPAS/TOTOK WIJAYANTO (TOK)

Workers work on the construction of a new building construction project in the Slipi area, Jakarta, Sunday (14/8/2022).

In its 77 years of its independence, Indonesia has seen much progress. However, there are still gaps in development, both economically and in quality of life. According to indicators of the Human Development Index (HDI), the quality of life of people in eastern Indonesia is at least a decade behind that of people in western Indonesia.

Development prioritizes human life. Hence, development is carried out to create an environment that allows people to live a long and healthy life, receive education as well as live decently and productively. Indicators of development success are not reflected by economic growth alone.

The HDI is used to determine the extent to which achievements in development highlight aspects of quality of life. The HDI, which was developed by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in the 1990s and adapted by Statistics Indonesia (BPS), measures three key dimensions, namely a long and healthy life, being knowledgeable and having a decent standard of living.

Also read:

> Keeping the Momentum to Boost Human Development

> Outbreak Comes at Height of Demographic Bonus

In the last 12 years (2010-2021), Indonesia has seen a fairly good increase in the HDI. According to BPS data, Indonesia’s HDI stood at 66.53 in 2010 and rose to 72.29 in 2021, entering the high human development group. Indonesia entered the high human development group, which ranges from 70-80, in 2016.

When looking at each indicator, the life expectancy of Indonesians born in 2021 will reach 71.57 years. This indicator illustrates the degree or quality of public health. People living in Yogyakarta have the highest life expectancy, reaching 75.04 years.

Meanwhile, the average length of schooling for Indonesians is 8.54 years. Meanwhile, the per capita expenditure of purchasing power parity is Rp 11.156 million per person per year.

Compared to 2010, Indonesia’s HDI was at 66.53, in the medium human development group. The life expectancy of Indonesians at that time was only 69.81 years and the average length of schooling was 7.46 years. Meanwhile, per capita expenditure was Rp 9.647 million per year.

East and west

Until 2021, only ten provinces had entered the high human development group. In order of development, from highest to lowest, these provinces are Jakarta, Yogyakarta, East Kalimantan, Riau Islands, Bali, North Sulawesi, Riau, Banten, West Sumatra and West Java.

Of the 10 provinces, the HDI of Jakarta and Yogyakarta are already in the very high human development group, as the index exceeds 80. The HDIs of Jakarta and Yogyakarta are 81.11 and 80.22 respectively.

No province records a HDI of below 60, which indicates low human development. The majority of provinces remain in the medium human development group, especially Indonesia’s eastern provinces. The ten provinces with the lowest HDI are Papua, West Papua, East Nusa Tenggara, West Sulawesi, West Kalimantan, West Nusa Tenggara, North Maluku, Gorontalo, Maluku and Central Sulawesi.

KOMPAS/AGUS SUSANTO

Portrait of a family whose house is on the edge of Trans-Papua in Mandobo District, Boven Digoel, Papua, Tuesday (3/3/2020). The implementation of 20 years of Papua's special autonomy (Otsus) and large funds, has not yet seen improvement in terms of the Papuan Human Development Index (IPM) which is still low and the level of poverty and inequality is still high.

If Indonesia is split into its western and eastern regions, there is an obvious gap in HDI between the two.

Indonesia’s western regions, which include Sumatra, Kalimantan, Java and Bali, has a slightly higher average HDI compared to the national figure, which sits at 72.98.

However, Indonesia’s eastern regions, which includes Nusa Tenggara, Sulawesi, the Maluku cluster and Papua, has a slightly lower HDI compared to the national figure, at 68.65.

This shows that development is not enjoyed equally by all Indonesians. On a smaller scale, such as in terms of regencies and cities, this unequal development reflects a wider gap in quality of life.

A total of 22 regencies and cities still have low HDIs, under 60. This is mostly seen in Papua province (17 regencies), followed by West Papua (4 regencies) and East Nusa Tenggara (1 regency). Nduga regency in Papua currently has the lowest HDI at 32.84.

Also read:

> Social Justice Has Not Been Achieved, Eastern Indonesia Most Left Behind

> The Impact of Recession on Poverty

In Nduga regency, for one, the life expectancy in 2021 was estimated to be 55.43 years. The average length of schooling for the Nduga community is 1.42 years. This means that many children in Nduga drop out once they reach the second grade of elementary school. Meanwhile, per capita expenditure in Nduga is Rp 3.98 million per year, meaning that the daily expenditure of the Nduga community is only around Rp 10,000 per person.

These three provinces in Indonesia’s eastern region, namely East Nusa Tenggara, Papua and West Papua, are pockets of poverty that require serious attention from the government. The poverty rate in each of these provinces is above 20 percent, twice the national average.

Areas with low HDI are classified as underdeveloped because the HDI is one the main indicators in determining underdeveloped areas, in addition to poverty rates and low economic growth. As underdeveloped regions, these three provinces also have borders.

Very high

Most regencies and cities in Indonesia sit in the medium human development group, where 250 regencies and cities (48.6 percent) have an HDI between 60 and 69. Including the low human development group, more than half of Indonesia’s administrative regions (52.9 percent) have mediocre quality of life, which is not very high. These conditions certainly affect the output and productivity of economic activity.

However, as many as 205 regencies and cities (39.9 percent) already have a high HDI, ranging from 70 to 79. The remaining 37 regencies and cities (7.2 percent) have a very high HDI, 80 and above. On average, these are provincial capitals or large cities that are either advanced or modern.

Considering the description above, it is clear that there is a wide gap in the quality of life between Indonesians in the western and eastern regions. The government still has much work to do to reduce this gap.

The concept of building the country from its periphery is still very relevant today, especially in focusing on the eastern periphery. This concept must be realized with many bold breakthroughs so that Indonesia’s eastern region is not left behind by a decade compared to the western region.

This article was translated by Kesya Adhalia.