Riau; Progress and poverty

Abstract

Mubyarto Riau; Progress and poverty In: Bijdragen tot de Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde, Riau in transition 153 (1997), no: 4, Leiden, 542-556 This PDF-file was downloaded from http://www.kitlv-journals.nl MUBYARTO Riau Progress and Poverty Introduction The province of Riau enjoys the reputation of being one of the richest provinces in Indonesia.1 This is largely due to the fact that within its boundaries are large reserves of oil, gas and forest products. Since the assumption of power by the New Order Government, large-scale rubber and palm oil plantations have also opened in Riau. Conversely, there is a slower rate of growth in regions where farming, small-scale plantations and fishing form the base of economic activity. [...]I would like to reiterate that a 544 Mubyarto high rate of growth in the PDRB does not always benefit the local people if there is an inequitable distribution of income. [...]a form of development only serves to generate socioeconomic imbalances between the different sectors of the economy and will certainly help neither government efforts nor society to overcome poverty and social tensions. [...]the local economy sector is weak, backward, and not able to compete, and is gradually being overwhelmed in this enterprise of free competition. [...]this problem must be rectified by the introduction of a different policy pertinent to this sector of the economy.