Should We Agree with The Saving Management of Public Housing' (TAPERA) Proposed by The Government?

The inauguration of government regulations on the implementation of public housing savings has caused many differences of opinion. Some of them support the existence of a public housing savings program; they believe that this program will be able to help people who do not yet own a house. However, others strongly reject the existence of this public housing savings program. As a civilian, I reject the existence of a public housing savings program that will not necessarily benefit the people.

According to Moeldoko, the Presidential Chief of Staff who supports the public housing savings policy, public housing savings are not salary cuts for employees, but TAPERA is a savings made for workers to own a house. He also says TAPERA can be used as a means of saving for people who already own a house, from which the money can be taken when they retire. On the other hand, the Chairman of the Confederation of Indonesian Trade Union Alliance Congress, Sunarno, says that the TAPERA policy was authoritarian, as trade unions were never consulted in making this decision. He feels that the government does not understand the difficulties of the workers so far. The salary, which is arguably very little, must be forcibly saved if the TAPERA policy is implemented, which will be very burdensome for the community considering that workers have received salary deductions that are not comparable to the amount of labor wage increases, which are considered very small. Therefore, this TAPERA policy is arguably the same as forcibly cutting the salaries of employees because there is no dialogue between the government and labor unions or people who feel aggrieved by this policy.

In addition, according to Herry, Director General of Infrastructure Financing for Public Works and Housing of the Ministry of PUPR, who also supports the TAPERA program, one of the advantages of being a TAPERA participant is that the community will be given a Home Ownership Credit with affordable interest, where the installments can match people's income. But although TAPERA participants will be given the advantage of being given a Home Ownership Credit with affordable interest, according to Mirah Sumirat, Chairperson of the Indonesian Trade Union Association, cutting salaries for TAPERA will actually burden workers. With small wages and high cost of living increases, a 2.5% cut will feel very much and overly burdensome. She also says that the government should subsidize public housing instead of cutting workers' salaries. On the other hand, a labor activist from Lmpung, Tri Susilo, also disagrees with the 2.5% deduction from workers' salaries and 0.5% from employers. He says that he is worried that the contribution will be corrupted by the government, given that corruption cases by officials in Indonesia are still high.

After looking at both sides of the argument above, if this public housing savings policy is still implemented, I feel that there are more disadvantages for the people than advantages. I hope this policy will be canceled and abolished.

Critical Review of The Government's Policy of Increasing The Single Tuition Fee in Indonesia

The government's policy of increasing the single tuition fee in Indonesia is a policy that is disadvantageous to many people who want to go to college because not everyone comes from a wealthy family who can afford to pay the single tuition fee, especially if there is a policy to increase it. Although, in the end, it was canceled, this policy is still one that disadvantages the community.

The policy of increasing the single tuition fee begins with a new regulation contained in Permendikbudristek Number 2 of 2024, which is used as a foundation by the manager or leader of a university to increase the single tuition fee and institutional development fees. With this policy, many students throughout Indonesia protested by holding demonstrations such as those at Jenderal Soedirman University on April 30, 2024. Then, with a statement from the Secretary of the Directorate General of Higher Education, Research, and Technology, Tjitjik Sri Tjahjandarie, who said that education in higher education is tertiary education and therefore not mandatory, this further made the demonstrations carried out by students culminate. Because of this, the Minister of the Ministry of Education and Culture, Nadiem Makarim, was called by Commission X of the House of Representatives on May 21, 2024, for an explanation. Afterwards, on May 27, 2024, the Director General of Higher Education, Research, and Technology, Abdul Haris, officially sent a letter canceling the single tuition fee increase to the rectors of state universities and law-based state universities.

Since the beginning, this policy has disadvantaged many people who want to continue their education in higher education because not everyone is a rich person who can afford to pay a single tuition fee. As one of the students on the Indonesia Smart College Card scholarship, I feel that this policy is very unfair. Although I get a scholarship from the government so I don't have to pay a single tuition fee, this policy is very disadvantaging for students who are in the middle class. They are not rich enough to be able to pay the single tuition fee that has been raised, and they are also not poor enough to get the Indonesia Smart Tuition Card scholarship. Thus, many prospective students withdrew after the single tuition fee increase policy because they felt they would not be able to pay it. Because many students felt disadvantaged, they protested by holding demonstrations such as the one that occurred at Jenderal Soedirman University on April 30, 2024, which was chaotic because the masses who wanted to try to enter were blocked by security officers, causing the glass of the rectorate building to break.

Other cases of demonstrations also occurred at the University of Riau and the University of North Sumatra, both of which demanded a reduction in the single tuition fee. Then, with this phenomenon, the Secretary of the Directorate General of Higher Education, Research, and Technology, Tjitjik Sri Tjahjandarie, responded that education in higher education is tertiary education and thus not mandatory, which is actually inappropriate to be said by a Secretary of the Directorate General of Higher Education, Research, and Technology. Her statement can hurt the hearts of the public and make the nation's children inferior to their dreams of having a higher education. Due to the increase in the single tuition fee that triggered student demonstrations and also the untrue statement from the Secretary of the Directorate General of Higher Education, Research, and Technology, Commission X of the House of Representatives, Nadiem Makarim, on May 21, 2024, for an explanation, After holding a working meeting and meeting the President, Nadiem Makarim finally canceled the single tuition fee increase policy on May 27, 2024. Although the policy has been canceled, there is still no responsibility from the government for children who have passed the achievement-based national selection pathway who have already resigned and buried their dreams of continuing their education in college.

With the various explanations that have been described, this further proves that the policy of increasing the single tuition fee is a disadvantage to the community because not everyone is a rich person who can afford to pay a single tuition fee regardless of the cost. In fact, this policy also disadvantaged children who had been declared to have passed the achievement-based national selection pathway who had already resigned and buried their dreams of continuing their education in college. Even though they have big dreams, they want to be able to change their lives for the better by continuing their education at a higher level.

 

Should We Ban Smoking for Teenagers?

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Cigarettes are one of the things that can trigger addiction and cause various health problems. People have actually felt the dangers of smoking to their health directly; the effects of smoking can also be seen clearly in front of the eyes. Among society, especially teenagers, smoking has become a phenomenon that is quite alarming because, at their relatively young age, they choose to do things that are harmful to their health. In fact, much research shows that smoking can increase the risk of various diseases that can lead to death, such as lung disease, coronary heart disease, cancer of the mouth, skin, and esophagus, and can damage the brain and senses of the human body. We must ban smoking for teenagers, who are the next generation of the nation, to prepare the next generation to be aware of their own health and that of others. 

Firstly, according to the WHO, cigarette smoke contains harmful substances such as nicotine, tar, and thousands of chemicals that have toxic and carcinogenic effects or may cause cancer. When cigarette smoke particles are inhaled, they are deposited throughout the airway. Nicotine, which is an addictive substance, is stored in the lungs so that when someone smokes or even just inhales the smoke, he will have the possibility of getting lung diseases such as lung cancer. 

Second, in addition to nicotine, cigarettes also contain carbon monoxide. Nicotine and carbon monoxide in cigarettes are the main causes of heart disease because nicotine can interfere with the work of the heart and cause blockages in the heart's blood vessels, while carbon monoxide can cause the supply of oxygen needed by the heart to decrease because it is bound to blood hemoglobin. 

Third, the tar content found in cigarettes can damage the mucous membranes in the mouth, lips, and esophagus. The tar residue that accumulates changes the nature of normal cells into malignant cells that can cause cancer. In addition, the hot smoke from cigarettes can also cause mouth and lip cancer. 

Fourth, nicotine and other chemicals present in cigarettes can also cause constriction of blood vessels, which reduces blood flow to the brain, thus depriving it of oxygen and nutrients that are essential for healthy brain cells. In addition, smoking can also damage our body's senses. The sense of smell will be impaired because the olfactory cells in the nose are damaged, while the sense of taste will be reduced due to damage to the taste receptors on the tongue. 

The negative impact of cigarette smoke can not only be felt by people who smoke directly, but people who are around those people who smoke will also be negatively affected, as they will have a higher risk of experiencing respiratory infections such as bronchitis and pneumonia. Not only do they have a risk of respiratory infections, but it can also increase the risk of lung cancer if they continue to inhale cigarette smoke. Therefore, we must ban teenagers from smoking in order to prepare the next generation, who are aware of the health of themselves and others. Take care of yourself and others by not smoking.

Giving Gadgets to Children: A Good Decision or a Disaster?

 

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In this modern era, gadgets cannot be separated from human life, starting with adults, teenagers, and even children already have their own gadgets. Gadgets themselves do have many positive impacts, but besides having a positive impact, gadgets also have a negative impact, especially on children. Gadgets have many features that can be accessed, and the existence of many of these features will be an entry point for children to access anything that could be inappropriate for their age. While these children have not been able to distinguish between good and bad like adults, this can affect their development. According to research, the use of gadgets by children can affect their speaking ability, character, quality of learning, and even cause depression.

Children's speaking ability is related to their verbal ability to communicate with other humans. When compared to children who are not given gadgets, children who are given gadgets will spend more time in front of the gadget screen, resulting in less time interacting with other people. This will reduce the child's ability to speak; hence, they will only be able to string together one or two words.

The use of gadgets by children can kill their character. Children who initially have good manners and are obedient to their parents will become disobedient and abusive. This can all happen when children watch videos on YouTube where people use harsh and bad language or when playing online games where people usually like to use harsh language and curse when they lose. These kinds of things can kill character in children, and this can all happen because parents give gadgets to children and do not accompany them.

Children who use gadgets and are not controlled by parents will experience addiction so that their time to play with friends, interact with others, and the quality of learning is reduced. These children will usually feel that it is better if they spend their time playing with gadgets, even though they need interaction with others to increase their knowledge.

The scariest impact of giving gadgets to children is depression. When children have started to feel addicted to playing gadgets, when one day they are not allowed to play gadgets, they will feel anxious, angry, and also restless. Another example is when children are usually given money to buy data packages, but suddenly their parents don't give them money, even for a day. They will get angry and throw tantrums. This is what usually triggers children's depression and can lead to the murder of parents.

Based on the explanation above, it is clear that gadgets have many negative impacts on children. These impacts include decreased speaking ability, negative character development, decreased learning quality, and the risk of depression.