VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Vice President Ma’ruf Amin. ANTARA/HO-Setwapres - 

Vice President Ma’ruf Amin believes that extreme poverty cannot be reduced merely by offering social assistance.

"Efforts to empower the economy must also be made to alleviate poverty and extreme poverty in various regions," Vice President Amin stated in a speech during the 2021 Halal Trade Forum event at the Trade Expo Indonesia (TEI) held through a video conference from here, Friday.

The vice president opined that it was impossible to save the community from poverty just by providing social assistance and instead called to also make efforts to empower the people's economy.

Economic empowerment for people in poverty or extreme poverty can be conducted by developing Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in regions.

"This is the important role of MSMEs that have played a role as the backbone of the national economy," Amin stated from the vice president's official residence here.

In connection with alleviating extreme poverty, Amin had undertaken working visits to the seven provinces of West Java, Central Java, East Java, Maluku, East Nusa Tenggara, Papua, and West Papua. Each province has five priority districts that come under the extreme poverty alleviation program.

During his visit, the vice president spoke of his side having intensively coordinated with the related provincial and district governments.

"I also observe the importance of the government and the private sector’s presence in (making) a holistic and comprehensive policy," he stated.

According to Amin, all policies to solve extreme poverty must be intact and not be separated sector-wise, so that the target of achieving zero-percent extreme poverty can be realized.

The national extreme poverty rate in Indonesia reaches 10.86 million and is targeted to touch zero percent in 2024. Currently, the government has set its sights on freeing 2,096,771 people from extreme poverty by the end of 2021//ANT