Poverty alleviation requires collaboration: Muhammadiyah

Purwokerto, Indonesianpost.com – Chairperson of the Muhammadiyah central executive (PP) Anwar Abbas has said that cooperation between the government, society, and various parties is needed to eradicate poverty in Indonesia.

After opening the 2022–2027 PP Muhammadiyah Community Empowerment Assembly (MPM) National Meeting (Rakernas) at Muhammadiyah University Purwokerto (UMP), Central Java, on Saturday, Abbas expressed the hope that the MPM work program will become a movement that empowers the community’s economy.

“So, the MPM chaired by Nurul Yamin and friends have already made a plan. This planning is the result of a congress decision, which becomes a work program in Solo,” he said.

The work program has also been socialized to the regional and branch levels, he said, adding that it is hoped that it will become an activity or movement for community economic empowerment that would run from Sabang to Merauke.

“If we can do it well, we hope it will bring prosperity to the people’s economy,” he said.

Thus, the number of lower-class people will decrease and in return, the number of middle-class people will increase.

The shape of social well-being and distribution of wealth in Indonesian society is like that of a pyramid, he noted.

“We will help transform the shape into a diamond-like shape, where the top is small, the middle is large, and the bottom is small,” the deputy chairperson of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) said.

“The top is two percent, in the middle 95 percent, below three percent,” he added.

He said such a society would transform again into a mountain, where the bottom is blunt and where there are no more poor people because everyone is living in prosperity.

He described this as an ideal social order that the Indonesian people must aspire to.

“And I think this cannot only be done by the government and not only can be done by the community. The government and society must work together in order to overcome this problem,” he stressed.

He said that Constitutionally speaking, based on the provisions of Article 34 of the 1945 Constitution, the state should look after the poor.

However, the state has limitations so the government must instead support every effort made by elements of society who are trying to eradicate poverty in the country, he added.

Therefore, the government should pay attention to events — such as the MPM National Working Meeting — which seek to reduce poverty.

Regarding the concrete steps that Muhammadiyah has taken to reduce poverty, Abbas said the organization has made several efforts, including helping people in the agricultural sector by choosing good seeds and teaching them how to cultivate good soil and how to use the right fertilizers.

“Mr. Latuconsina from Maluku once guided people in an area by choosing the right fertilizer to help their cocoa plants bear fruit again,” he informed.

“After the people’s cocoa plantations bear fruit, their economy will start moving again. That’s what we hope for,” Abbas said.

He also expressed the hope that there will be no unemployment in the country and that everyone will contribute to the nation in their respective capacities.

The MPM PP Muhammadiyah National Working Meeting, which is themed “Community Empowerment Ecosystem Collaboration,” is taking place from July 28–30, 2023. It is scheduled to be closed by Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Cultural Affairs Muhadjir Effendy.