Under The Shadow of Disparity

After increasing slowly for over a decade, the economic disparity rate has seen a tendency to decline over the past two years. However, this achievement has not seen improvement among the low-income groups. Their purchasing power has weakened. Poor nutrition among expecting mothers, babies, and children under five are signs of poverty. Because child growth and development is not optimal, this upcoming generation will find it difficult to improve family prosperity levels. At the same time, the middle class has seen greater growth. It is no surprise that those who are well-off have made rapid progress, adding to their wealth through land concessions for mining, plantations and infrastructure projects. Meanwhile, poverty has tended to continue around mining areas. Economic growth has not automatically reduced poverty.