Indonesia Not A Failed State

Jakarta (Antara Bali) - National Development Planning Minister Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana denied on Monday that Indonesia was a failed state, saying the country was making progress.

"We are not a failed state because we are improving. By scoring 80.6 [points in a recent survey], we are moving closer to a moderate level," she told a press conference here.

The Washington-based Fund for Peace recently published the 2012 Failed State Index (FSI), in which Indonesia ranked 63 out of the 178 countries surveyed worldwide.

Last year, Indonesia was in the 64th spot among 177 countries. Somalia topped the list of failed states, followed by the Democratic Republic of Congo.    

"The survey conducted by the non-profit organization suggests that Indonesia continues to make progress, so it is not on the threshold of being a failed state," Armida said.

"Based on the same survey, Indonesia has made significant progress in the past three years," she added.

"So I reject the statement that Indonesia is a failed state. It is not true that we are a failed state. In 2010, we were ranked 61 by scoring 83.1 points. We were in the 64th spot in 2011 and then went up to 63 in 2012 by scoring 80.6," Armida noted.(IGT)