Even though the Indonesian nation has been independent for 75 years, the distribution of development and the economy is still an unresolved problem. In other words, the problem of inequality still exists today. Spatially, Indonesia's structure still faces economic disparities between regions. This inequality is found starting from the smallest regional structures such as villages, sub-districts, districts/cities, provinces, between islands and even between western and eastern regions of Indonesia.
Based on BPS data for quarter IV-2020 on growth and the ratio of Gross Regional Domestic Product (GDP) by region, Java Island provides more than half (58,75%) of Indonesia's oil and gas. If you add to the island of Sumatra (21.36), then the western region with only two islands (Java and Sumatra) contributes to the Indonesian economy of 80.11%. The remaining less than 20 percent is in Kalimantan (7,94%), Bali and Nusa Tenggara (2,94%), Sulawesi (6,66%) and Maluku and Papua of 2,35%.

The disparity in the contribution of the national economy through GRDP between Java Island and Outside Java does not occur instantly. At least this can be seen from two approaches: First, from a sociological aspect. Java is not only the center of government but in terms of population it is also the island with the largest population. The 2020 BPS Population Census data shows that Indonesia's population is still concentrated on the island of Java. With an area of around 7 percent of the total area of Indonesia, Java Island is inhabited by 151.6 million people or 56.10 percent of Indonesia's population, followed by Sumatra (21.68 percent), Sulawesi (7.36 percent), Kalimantan (6.15 percent ), Bali-Nusa Tenggara (5.54 percent), and Maluku-Papua (3.17 percent).
Second, the political aspect. It is undeniable that centralized political policies, particularly in the field of infrastructure development in Indonesia, were 'Java centric', especially during the New Order era. Strategic infrastructure development at that time was more focused on the island of Java. This is what later became one of the spirits for the birth of regional autonomy in the reform era as a form of demand for equitable distribution of development, regional progress and prosperity.
In a discussion, the former Minister of Villages, Development of Disadvantaged Regions and Transmigration, Marwan Jafar, explained that there is still a gap in economic growth between Java and Outside Java. The government's efforts to formulate an economic development program have not run optimally because so far the program has been based on the island of Java. According to the data, the contribution to economic growth in Java is 58 percent, while outside Java it is in the range of 2 to 7.4 percent (Republika.co.id, 31/03/17).
Public perception in the trend of survey results conducted by the Populi Center also shows that most people think that there is still economic inequality between Java and Outside Java.

From the data above, the Populi Center divides the assessment into 3 (three) answers, namely more and more inequality, there is still inequality, and no inequality. If we do the summing up between Increasingly lame and There is still inequality – because both of these answers show an assessment of inequality – then in the February 2018 survey 63.1 percent of the public considered that there was still inequality between Java and Outside Java. Furthermore, there was a decrease in the inequality assessment in March 2018 to 54.3 percent, but the assessment increased again in April 2018 to 61.8 percent and in June 2018 to 68.1 percent. After experiencing an increase, public perception of the imbalance in the economic conditions of Java and Outside Java decreased in the next three surveys conducted by the Populi Center.
In July 2018 it fell to 66.0 percent, then in August 2018 it became 64.6 percent, and then fell again to 57.7 percent in September 2018. After experiencing a decline in the three previous surveys, public perception of Javanese inequality and Outside Java increased again in November 2018 by 60.7 percent, and in December by 64.5 percent. In the last survey conducted by the Populi Center in January 2019, 62.7 percent of the public considered that there was still an imbalance in economic conditions between Java and Outside Java. The results of a survey conducted by the Populi Center show that more than 50 percent of the people think that Java and Outside Java are still in a state of economic inequality.
In other data, the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) routinely issues Gini Ratio data, namely to measure inequality or inequality. The numbers used in the Gini Ratio range from 0 to 1. The number 0 indicates perfect equality and the number 1 indicates inequality or perfect inequality, meaning that the larger the number generated, the result shows more inequality.
Table. 2GINI Ratio 2017-2020
In the data series displayed by BPS, at least the average Gini Ratio in Indonesia ranges from 0.380 to 0.393. From the average of these figures, BPS divides the Gini Ratio from 34 (thirty four) provinces. Data shows that Indonesia's GINI Ratio in semester 2 (September) 2020 is 0.385. During the same period and year, namely semester 2 (September) 2020, the top five provinces with the highest GINI ratio were DI Yogyakarta (0.437), Gorontalo (0.406), DKI Jakarta (0.400), West Java (0.398), and Papua ( 0.395). From the data on the average GINI Ratio on the island of Java, which is divided into 6 (six) provinces, namely DKI Jakarta, West Java, Central Java, DI Yogyakarta, East Java, and Banten, the GINI Ratio on the island of Java is 0.387. Meanwhile, the average GINI ratio outside Java is 0.339. GINI ratio data in semester 2 of 2020 shows that the GINI ratio for Java Island is higher when compared to outside Java Island.
According to Suhariyanto (Head of BPS), one of the reasons for the increase in the GINI Ratio in Indonesia is due to the increase in the number of poor people as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. In his records, the number of poor people as of September 2020 was 27.55 million people (10.19 percent). This figure is from the total population in September 2019 of 24.79 million people (9.22 percent) (Antaranews, 15/02/21).
Bibliography
Antara News, 15 February 2021, BPS: Indonesia's Gini ratio has increased to 0.385, increased in cities and villages, https://www.antaranews.com/berita/2000465/bps-gini-ratio-indonesia-naik-jadi-0385- ride-in-town-nor-country
BPS, 5 February 2021, Indonesian Economic Growth Quarter IV-2020, https://www.bps.go.id/website/images/Permbuh-Ekonomi-Indonesia-Quarter-IV-2020-ind.jpg
Populi Center, January 2019, National Voter Participation and Preference Voter Survey Ahead of the 2019 Simultaneous General Elections, Jakarta
Republika, 31 March 2017, Economic Development is Assessed as Still Centralized in Java, https://republika.co.id/berita/nasional/umum/17/03/31/ono4yw368-pemdindingan-ekoke- Java
English 
Indonesian