Institut Teknologi Bandung

BANDUNG, itb.ac.id- In conjunction with remembering 100 years since Day of National Resurgence, ITB KM (Keluarga Mahasiswa) worked together with Keluarga Mahasiswa Islam (Student Islam Body) and Forum Indonesia Muda (Forum for Young Indonesians) to organize a talk show called “Save Indonesia from Poverty”, Thursday (22/5). Present as speakers were Bambang Widianto, Bappenas representative; Mohammad Ismet, Bulog representative; Rina Indiastuti, Head Master of Economy and FE Development Study, Padjajaran University; and ITB student representative. Poverty is defined as limited access to business modal, education and health. Deprivations of necessities such as food (2100 kalori/day/person) and access to education are among parameters of poverty. Bappenas Strategy in saving Indonesia from poverty is to fulfill the basic necessities (food, education, and health), society’s capabilities, mending of social protection system, and quality economical growth by giving priority to small and middle sized industries. Mohammad Ismet said the same thing, “From fulfilling the need for food, Bulog has made it able for rice to be distributed evenly in accordance to time and place.” From an academic perspective, Rini Iniastuti mentioned certain issues that have become the source of the poverty problem, some of which were the tendency for economical growth to form the gap (social gap), the government’s lack of energy to prevent poverty, an unbalanced worker’s structure, reduction in UMR and no prepared working field rending poor citizens helpless to help their state of poverty. The talk show was held in ITB’s West Auditorium and was attended by students and the general pubic as well as several representatives of Village 200 in Cisitu. A social event was held in the village on the 10th and 11th May in conjunction with the 100 year Memorial Day of National Resurgence. Grand Launching of Rumah Belajar KM was held as closing for the event. Rumah Belajar is organized by ITB KM as one of many solutions to solving the poverty issue in Indonesia