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Jakarta. The nation needs a plan to fight poverty that is devoid of the politicking of different administrations, Vice President Boediono said on Monday.

“I think the poverty problem will stay with us for several decades,” Boediono said while opening the National Team to Accelerate Poverty Reduction (TNP2K) office in Jakarta.

“It needs an integrated policy approach that has continuity and can be followed up by future governments.”

Indonesia’s poverty rate continues to be a major obstacle to the country achieving middle-income status.

Although some major gains have been made, analysts say more could be done than the recent yearly reduction of about 1 percent to the overall rate.

Last year’s poverty rate accounted for 14.15 percent of the population. That figure dropped to 13.33 percent this year.

Figures from Central Statistics Agency (BPS) show that 31 million are living below the poverty line, or on less than $2 a day. The highest concentration of the poor is located in rural areas, as 19.93 million people eke out a living in the countryside.

However, the government’s poverty benchmark of $2 a day is much lower than most international measures set by organizations such as the World Bank and the UN.

And despite the government’s target to cut poverty to 8 percent by 2014 and 12 percent this year, TNP2K executive secretary Bambang Widyanto said the reduction had slowed due to the global economic downturn, which reined in growth in Indonesia to 4.5 percent in 2009.

However, Bambang said there have been some improvements. “As of now, the number of people that we have pulled out of poverty is 1.5 million.

“This should be our focus. We need to keep the people who got out of poverty from going back again.”

The TNP2TKI, he said, also has three other core targets: improving the poor’s access to basic needs such as education and health care, lifting their prospects through the National Program for People’s Empowerment (PNPM) and supporting economic growth by encouraging small enterprises.

Paul Robilliard, who is deputy ambassador of the Australian Embassy in the capital, called for an increased effort to identify the root of poverty in Indonesia, and then applying a targeted approach to fixing the problem.

“Too many Indonesians live in poverty. It is a great idea to improve these programs, and to also ensuring that these people who are most in need are receiving the right assistance. That should result in a real reduction in the number of poor in Indonesia,” Robilliard said.

“We’re currently working closely with the national team to finalize arrangements to establish poverty reduction support facilities,” he said.

Australia, he added, is assisting the national team in analyzing, defining and implementing policy for poverty reduction and other social welfare programs.

He said that his nation has also committed 57 million Australian dollars ($51 million) in aid for poverty reduction in the archipelago over the next five years.

Boediono backed Robilliard’s call while also pointing to a need for an integrated philosophy running through the cabinet portfolios.

“We need to systemize efforts under a clear theme, clear target and with a defined implementation of policy.”

“We have to remember that poverty is dependant on price stability, particularly with basic needs,” Boediono said. “This should be part of an integral effort to prevent poverty from creeping back.”