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TWENTY Indonesia Sociologists attended the meeting of Association of Sociology Department of Indonesia (APSSI) at the Sennate Meeting Room of University of Muhammadiyah Malang (UMM) on Tuesday (4/2). The theme of the sociologists discussion was “The Ideas of Indonesian Sociologist to Face the ASEAN Economy Community (MEA) in East Java”.
Each experts presented their research result related to the perceptive of MEA sociology. The sociologist of Gadjah Mada University (UGM), Drs. Purwanto, Su, M.Phil, said that one of the MEA substance problems is its ideology which is oriented on the profit. Moreover, he thought that Indonesia is seen as the potential market, not as the potential producer.
Meanwhile, a lecturer of Faculty of Social and Political Sciences (FISIP) UMM, Dra. Tutik Sulistyawati, M.Si, explained that the creative economy affirms the need of Small and Medium Enterprise (UMKM) in creating the competence atmosphere. According to Tutik, it is neccesary to encourage the UMKM user to be the pioneers in East Java. “The role of sociologist is not only working on the theory but also participating on the practice of encouraging the UMKM,” she asserted.
Relating to this concern, Airlangga University professor, Prof. Dr. Emy Susianto, MA, tried to fight for the women who contribute in the micro enterprises. According to Emy, MEA will focus on the economy development. In line with it, women have been actively contributing to the national economy improvement through their home industries. Unfortunately, those industries are vulnerable because those don’t have the legal basis. That’s why, the sociologists are expected to bridge between those home industries and the government through their ideas to create the legal protection for women whom actively contribute in informal industry. “The sociologists are to expected to give their pro-woman ideas,” she asserted.
The Dean of Faculty of Social and Political Sciences (FISIP) UMM, Dr. Asep Nurjaman, M.Si, meanwhile, said that women have been the economy power in Indonesia. “They don’t depend on the change of government’s macro policy. They will still exist even in crisis,” he asserted. That’s why, the sociologists need to pay their attention to the potential of those gender-based home industries. The government is expected to give awareness on how important the women are related to their role in facing this global economy. “It can be by giving the women ability improvement workshop to strengthen their position,” he said.
Being the host, Asep continued, FISIP UMM, especially the Sociology Department, can be the mediator to develop the ideas of the sociologists in welcoming the MEA. He wished that the result of this discussion can give guidance for the government in facing the MEA by evoking the gender potential in increasing the economy growth. (lil/han/t_rfd)
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