Speaking at a national symposium on Economic System for Achieving Social Welfare at the Parliament building here on Wednesday, Azwar noted that social imbalance was the root cause of all social conflicts, crime, and violence that can threaten the unity and integrity of Indonesia.
Data from the Central Statistics Agency indicated that Indonesias Gini ratio index had reached 0.394 points in September 2016.
The Gini ratio is a measure of inequality in which zero represents complete equality and one indicates complete inequality.
"This demonstrates a high level of social inequality," Azwar said while reiterating that the main issue faced by the Indonesian nation today is not the extreme left or right but social imbalance.
He noted that in the face of this reality, the Indonesian nation should ideally contemplate on ways to achieve the goal of social justice for all its citizens in line with the fifth principle of Pancasila.
According to Azwar, economics based on Pancasila does not pursue capitalism and liberalism, but in reality, the economy applied in Indonesia today follows the system of capitalism and liberalism, which can have an impact on social inequality.(*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
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