Bus fares within the city of Jakarta are Rp.200-Rp.300. Meals at a "Warung", a street stall, are served at the price of Rp.500- Rp,1500. The monthy wage of a housemaid, who is provided with light, fuel, water and her own room, is around Rp. 100,000. A shop assistant at the Sogo department store is said to earn Rp.150,000 monthly and a chauffeur Rp.200,000-Rp.300,000. These are reasonable figures at the realistic conversion rate of 1 yen to the rupia. The official rate, however, is 1￥＝15Rp.

Now look at the following figures. A 330ml can of Coke is sold at Rp.1,000,  a kilo of beef at Rp.20,000, a 1000ml carton of milk is Rp.2,800, a box of Kleenex tissue Rp.3,000, a Big Mac at McDonald's Rp.3,600. These commodities are what foreign residents need to keep their life styles, but are quite expensive considering the former figures which illustrate how ordinary people live. Other than foreign residents, who get the same salaries here as in their own country, or sometimes more, only the upper class people, who account for only 1.5-2%of the total population, can afford to buy them. It means only a limited number of people can shop at big department stores or fashionable shopping malls.

The upper class people are politicians, senior public servants, military officers, entrepreneurs, doctor, lawyers, and directors of large companies owned by the nation or financed with foreign capital. In contrast with this, there are farmers, vendors and employees of small businesses at the bottom who have to fight for survival every day of their lives and have to support their families on a monthly wage of less than Rp.50,000. Although every area prescribes the minimum wage (for example Rp.2,800 per day in Jakarta), it is often hard to enforce. 

The number of middle class people is increasing, but the dual society still exists here in Indonesia and the two societies are clearly divided. The money which could support an average family for a month is easily spent on only one dinner at a luxurious restaurant by an upper class family.

#57 Parkway Vol.6 No.6 December 1992

ジャカルタ市内を走るバスの運賃は200ルピア～300ルピア。「ワルン」と呼ばれる露天のメニューは500ルピア～1,500ルピア。部屋、水道、光熱費つきの女中さんの一ヶ月の給料は10万ルピアぐらい。運転手さんは20万～30万、そごうデパートの店員さんは15万ルピア。これらの数字、1円＝1ルピアと換算すれば、妥当と思える数字ですが、実際は1円＝15ルピア（当時）です。

次に別の数字です。330mlの缶コーラ1,000ルピア、牛肉1キロ20,000ルピア。1リットルの牛乳2,800ルピア、クリネックスティッシュ一箱3,000ルピア、マクドナルドのビッグマック3,600ルピア。これらは外国人駐在員が自分たちのライルスタイルを維持するのに必要なもの。日本円に換算すれば、日本の値段とあまり変わらないのですが、最初の数字に比べるとかなり高額です。外国人駐在員は本国と同じ給料或いはそれ以上をルピアに換算してもらうので、こんなに高額でも全く問題ないのです。そして、同じようなものを買うことができるインドネシア人たちというのは公務員、軍人、起業家、医者、国営や海外資本企業の管理職など上層社会の人たちです。全人口の1.5～２％と言われています。

一方で、農業や、露天商、小規模店の定員など低層社会の人たちは、その日暮らしを余儀なくされ、7月5万ルピア以下の給料で家族を支えているのです。各地域で最低賃金の規定(ジャカルタでは2,800ルピア）されていますが、これを守ることさえも難しい状態です。

中流社会層も増加してきてはいますが、まだまだ格差社会のインドネシアです。一ヶ月一生懸命働いて稼いだ金額が、いとも簡単に、豪華なレストランで一夜の食事に費やされるています。