Abdul Qowi Bastian – The most troubling issue Jakarta faces is the enormous social disparity between the haves and the have-nots, Governor Joko Widodo said on Thursday.

Pemalang – Economic and social gap is the root cause of persistent security problem in Papua, Velix Wanggai, a special staff of the president on regional autonomy, said.

Jakarta – The growth in the number of wealthy individuals over the last 10 years has been spectacular, increasing by five fold or by 500 percent.

Bagus BT Saragih, Jakarta – In a fall from grace, Golkar Party chairman Aburizal Bakrie has failed to appear on Forbes magazine's 2012 list of the country's 40 richest men for the first

Mariel Grazella, Jakarta – The billionaires club in Indonesia is set to welcome new members.

Dili – National police and NGOs in East Timor have noted an uptick in alcohol-fueled violence, especially among unemployed youths.

Michael Bachelard – East Timor is a long way from realising its dreams of prosperity despite its oil revenue.

Elly Burhaini Faizal, Jakarta – Six-year-old Selvia Rahmawati appeared undaunted walking between cars and motorcycles at an intersection in Karet Bivak, Tanah Abang in Central Jakarta.

Ulma Haryanto – Standards of living in Papua have continuously risen during the past 13 years, according to the Papua Office of the Central Statistics Agency, a claim vehemently dispute

Elly Burhaini Faizal, Jakarta – Government agencies say that several provinces in eastern Indonesia cannot provide basic public services – despite rich natural resources and trillions o

Fitri, Mataram – West Nusa Tenggara has been aggressively promoting its tourism industry with one mega-construction project after another, including an international airport.

Dili – "Despite the progress in reducing poverty, greater effort is needed to ensure that growth and international assistance benefits the poorest, particularly those in rural areas," s

Farouk Arnaz – Measures taken to disperse the pro-independence Papuan Peoples' Congress in Jayapura last month were within the bounds of regulations governing the use of force, the Nati

The Asian Development Bank has clarified that its data showed poverty in Indonesia was in fact decreasing, and not on the rise, as a local nongovernmental organization recently reported

Aguis Triyono – The combined wealth of Indonesia's 40 richest people is equivalent to that of about 60 million of its poorest citizens, a nongovernmental organization said on Wednesday.

Faisal Maliki Baskoro – Indonesia's wealthy population surged by almost a fifth year-on-year in August, a rate three times the projected economic growth.

Lydia Tomkiw – Come 2015, Indonesia will be home to 99,000 wealthy individuals with a combined fortune worth $487 billion, according to a report.

Irawaty Wardany, Jakarta – Despite their financial hardships, many poor families in Indonesia prioritize spending on cigarettes rather than on other needs.

S.K. Zainuddin – In the fight against poverty, the yardstick used to measure progress has long been statistics.

Camelia Pasandaran & Dion Bisara – With recently released government data showing that the number of poor people in Indonesia is declining, once again questions are being raised amo

Esther Samboh, Jakarta – The number of low-income people in the country continues to slide this year but the reduction is slowing in an irony contrary to Indonesia's globally lauded rap

Tifa Asrianti, Jakarta – The government needs to evaluate its fight against poverty as three poverty reduction programs – direct cash assistance, rice for the poor and health security f

S.K.

Jakarta – The number of impoverished people in the country may increase should the government pass into law a bill on poverty alleviation that will redefine who is categorized as poor,

Jakarta – The government will not meet its target to reduce the poverty level to 8 to 10 percent by late 2014 unless it implements more appropriate measures, economists say.

Mariel Grazella, Jakarta – Poverty left no options for six siblings but to consume a cheap traditional meal made of processed cassava mixed with palm sugar, called tiwul, which led to l

The rebuilding of Aceh from the enormous destruction of the 2004 tsunami has been impressive, but the province continues to lag behind the rest of the nation in terms of poverty, life e

Dessy Sagita, Jakarta – Efforts to alleviate poverty through community empowerment programs are being held back by corruption and vested interests within the government, an official wit

Adianto P. Simamora, Jakarta – The odor of mud from a recent flood suffocates the air in Endang's home on the riverbank, where she and her four children have lived for 10 years.

Nurfika Osman & Antara, Jakarta – Some good efforts, but could try harder.

William Mellor – At 8am on a sunny day, industrialist Muhsin heads out for his usual workout of a swim and a few laps around a running track.

Abdul Khalik, Jakarta – With globalization favoring certain groups over others within Indonesia's 33 provinces, its population and administration should work hand in hand to reduce ineq

Putri Prameshwari – The country has reduced its slum population by at least half in the last two decades, the fastest among Southeast Asian countries, according to a United Nations repo

Nurfika Osman & Made Arya Kencana – Despite the government's claim to have succeeded in reducing poverty and social deprivation, experts on Tuesday warned that more effective social

Erwida Maulia, Jakarta – The government's plan to design a new social service system for the most vulnerable groups in society has been welcomed by both activists and observers.

Nurfika Osman - A number of senior members of the government, including cabinet ministers, no longer have to endure the ignominy of being driven around in a humble Toyota Camry.

Nurfika Osman – The National Commission on Children Protection has noted an 82-percent increase in recorded cases of abandoned babies, and has blamed poverty and unwanted pregnancies fo

Forbes Magazine published on Thursday the 2009 list of Indonesia's 40 richest people.

Surabaya – East Java's development index may stagnate next year, despite an increase in the 2010 budget, a local councilor said Tuesday.

Jakarta – Religious leaders and NGOs are urging the government to pick up the pace in its effort to end poverty in Indonesia.

Agus Maryono, Banjarnegara – The poverty rate in Banjarnegara regency, Central Java, has increased sharply to more than 60 percent as of the first semester this year, compared with the

Muhamad Al Azhari – The government says the national poverty rate has fallen due to steady economic growth, stable prices for staple foods and the impact of the economic stimulus packa

Katrin Figge – Wati is 23 years old and already a mother of five. She carries her youngest child in her arms, a 5-month-old girl who has a slight fever.

Lilian Budianto, Jakarta – Everybody is affected by the present global financial crisis. But not Indonesians Michael Hartono and brother R.

Erwida Maulia, Jakarta – The government claims it managed to reduce unemployment and poverty rates in 2008 and will continue to further drive the figures down this year despite the loom

Ismira Lutfia – The number of Indonesians living in poverty is set to reach more than 28 million by March 2009, National Development Planning Minister Paskah Suzetta said on Wednesday.

Wahyoe Boediwardhana, Pasuruan – While Rp 20,000 (US$2.3) or even Rp 30,000 might be considered an insignificant sum, it is for that amount that 21 women – many of them elderly and wido

Jakarta – At least 21 people were killed in a stampede in Indonesia on Monday as they crowded an alley to receive a cash handout for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, police said.

Erwida Maulia, Jakarta – Six weeks after the government's direct cash assistance scheme was launched, only 13.8 percent of the 19 million families targeted have received their aid.

Andy Hajramurni, Makassar – Makassar mayoralty in South Sulawesi has issued a local ordinance banning people from giving money to beggars in a bid to stem the recent sharp increase in b