Special Capital Region of Jakarta

As the economic crisis continues, the capacity of many Indonesians to provide for the basic necessities of life - food, clothing, and shelter - has been thrown even further into doubt. A prominent theme of several of the articles in this issue of our newsletter is the daily struggle many people face to provide sufficient food for themselves and their families and the grave impact this situation is having on the welfare of certain sections of Indonesian society.

All indications are that the economic crisis in Indonesia, especially in the formal sector, will not be over in the near future. After a contraction in the economy of approximately 14% in 1998, predictions are that the Indonesian economy would either experience no growth or would continue to decline in 1999, at a rate of up to 3%. This makes it extremely important to ensure the good performance of the Social Safety Net (SSN) programs which are designed to help the poorest groups to meet basic needs in food, health, children’s education, and employment.

If we take time to leaf through the previous five editions of the SMERU Newsletter, it will become apparent how little we have revealed of one of the most important aspects of the crisis, its gender dimension. We are all aware of how important this aspect really is and frequently discuss it. In fact we live with it; yet, we frequently forget to include it in our agenda. Gender is not just a matter of women, or even a matter of men and women. It is far more than that, for gender is a matter of human rights; gender is a development issue.