Page 109 - Transformasi Masyarakat Indonesia dan Historiografi Indonesia Modern

Djoko Suryo

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sue facing the government Indonesia in the 21 century will be
the gaps in population and human resources between provinces,
rural urban areas, and among the poor and the rich people.
Faced with these problems, the end of this century is prob-
ably going to be difficult for the government. Therefore, among
the Southeast Asian countries, Indonesia is facing bigger chal-
lenges in overcoming the economic crisis, and particularly in
trying to improve the quality of life for the population and to
develop human resources. Failure to respond to these prob-
lems will bring about difficulties for the government and the
people in facing the open economy and global market in the
near future. Inevitably, then, the improvement of the quality
of human resources will be one of the key factors for overcom-
ing economic problems and determining the sustainability of
Indonesian development in the future.

5. The Challenge to Southeast Asia and the Historians Task

At the sub regional level the economic crisis has threat-
ened even more hardship for the peoples of Southeast Asia and
even greater instability for their countries. For the peoples af-
fected and for their governments this situation is unacceptable.
What, then, are the formidable challenges which the present
economic crisis poses for the Southeast Asian countries indi-
vidually, regionally and sub regionally, which they will have
to effectively meet ? Generally speaking, the globalization chal-
lenge to the South countries as well as to Southeast Asian one
in the near future are demanding. 9
1. The first challenge is for the governments of the countries of
Southeast Asia to reaffirm that the purpose of economic de-
velopment is the promotion of the well being of their peoples,
with economic growth directed at satisfying their needs and

9 The Report of the South Commission. The Challenge to the South
(Oxford, New York, Toronto: Oxford: University Press, 1990), pp. 23 – 24.

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